


Behind the Lens

by TWDObsessive



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Age Difference, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Cock Cages, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Falling In Love, Feels, First Dates, First Kiss, First Meetings, First Time, Light Dom/sub, M/M, Obedience, Porn With Plot, Praise Kink, Spanking, alpha!Rick, virgin!Daryl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-10
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:41:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 30,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23087188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TWDObsessive/pseuds/TWDObsessive
Summary: Daryl Dixon is between jobs (again) and with Merle in jail (again) he's desperate to make a quick $500 for bail.  It turns out that a local porn director is paying exactly $500 bucks to film a new video with experienced porn star, Rick Grimes.  Hell, how hard could it be?
Relationships: Daryl Dixon/Rick Grimes
Comments: 167
Kudos: 332





	1. Looking for a Payday

**Author's Note:**

> Sooooo… LOTR58 had this idea for me to write a smutty one-shot where Rick and Daryl film a porno. And you know how these things happen. One chapter leads to another and another and then you have a full-on love story with plot and feels.
> 
> Thanks to LOTR58 for the idea and the Beta!! (and see you soon in July!!! Wooohoo!)
> 
> Posting tonight because I promised TWDFan33 that I would! (See you tomorrow at book club!)

Daryl was pissed. He usually was. It was his default setting and had been since his childhood, since the days of belts and beatings, through his revolving tangle of lost jobs and broken promises from his brother.

He stalked down the side streets of Atlanta glaring at everyone he passed. He needed to find Merle’s friend Frank, which would take some doing because he tended to move from bar to bar throughout the course of a day, selling drugs as he went. After checking half a dozen places, Daryl finally found the man sitting at the end of a bar in a dive on Green Street. 

“Hey,” Daryl called out as he started walking towards the end of the tavern.

Frank looked up, rolled his eyes, and stood. “What the hell do you want, Dixon?”

“You owe my brother five hundred bucks,” Daryl growled. “I want it now.”

Frank started heading for the door, brushing right past Daryl without looking back.

“I’ll give it to him when I see him, kid. Now get lost.”

Daryl followed him out onto the street. “You ain’t gonna see him. He done got himself locked up again and I need the money for bail.”

“That just ain’t my problem. I don’t hand that kind of money to people I don’t know that well.”

“You know me, asshole,” Daryl said with a glare as he followed Frank down a side street. Finally, the man spun around and looked Daryl in the eyes. 

“Look. Merle made his bed by being dumb enough to get caught. _Again._ You tell him I can’t keep working with someone so careless. Whenever you get his sorry ass out of the joint, you tell him not to come back expecting to deliver for me any more. I’m washing my hands of your brother.”

Frank turned and walked away as Daryl just watched him, defeated. Now where the fuck was he gonna get the damn money? He was shit at stealing. He looked too damn pissed off all the time to garner any sympathy for begging. He didn’t have any connections to try his hand at dealing himself. What the fuck was he gonna do? He’d lost his job over a month ago now and hadn’t been able to find a damn person in all of Alexandria that would look past the word Dixon on his job applications.

As he stood there lost in his own head, a passerby bumped into him.

“‘The fuck?” Daryl snapped and a guy with a mullet put his hands up in surrender as the flyers he was holding dropped to the ground.

“Sorry, pal. Didn’t mean to harsh your mellow.” He bent down to collect his papers and handed one to Daryl as he stood. “Ever thought about dropping the duds and showing off that gun show for a pretty profit?”

“What?” Daryl asked, not understanding a damn word of what the guy was trying to say.

The man looked Daryl up and down. “I’m saying you got the bod, but do you have the rod?” and he nodded at the flyer before he chased after another passerby.

Daryl looked down at the piece of green paper in his hands. 

_**Wanted: Male Actor for Alexandria Adult Films Inc.** _   
_Auditions to be held tomorrow at noon in the back room of Joe’s Tavern. Must be:  
At least 18  
Well fit  
Good looking  
Comfortable with complete nudity   
Comfortable with gay situations.  
Pay: $500 for a one day shoot_

“Fuckin’ A,” Daryl mumbled to himself. “Five hundred bucks?” He folded the flyer in fourths, tucked it in his pocket, and headed home.

*******************************************

He leaned against his kitchen counter with a beer as he read the flyer for the hundredth time. He knew he was well-built by default. He never had enough food so being overweight had never been a problem. And thanks to heating by wood stove all their lives, his arms were muscled and toned from chopping wood, and he was sure hunting all his life with the crossbow also helped.

He put the beer down and walked back to the bathroom again to examine himself in the mirror. He narrowed his eyes and glared at himself. He wasn’t good-looking. He had too-long choppy hair and scruff on his face that never grew in thick enough to look good. His lips were too thin and his one cheekbone still had the yellow-green remnants of a black eye. But how much footage would be of his face anyway?

Standing with his back to the mirror, he pulled his shirt off and looked over his shoulder to see the scars. He hated the way his back looked and had always been self conscious of his exposed skin. It made him feel helpless and weak. He flinched at the memories, the smell of alcohol on his father’s breath, the sound of his belt sliding out from it’s loops, the sudden burst of pain, and the litany of words -- stupid, worthless, lazy.

No, he wasn’t comfortable with complete nudity and Christ knew despite his twenty years, he was completely inexperienced when it came to sex, gay or otherwise. But it was $500 and that would be enough to bail Merle out. 

How hard could it be? There’d probably only be a handful of people in the room. He would have to be relaxed enough to let the other actor touch him much less fuck him, he’d never been fucked before, but he’d seen movies, he’d seen _this_ kind of movie, and it didn’t seem that difficult. He figured there’d be some pain, but he was no stranger to that. The worst part would be his anxiety and insecurities over being naked and touched. 

He opened the medicine cabinet and pulled out an old bottle that had been in there since High School. He’d had a panic attack junior year and Merle had picked him up and taken him to the doctor. He read the side of the pill bottle -- Clonazepam. It was supposed to help with anxiety, though Daryl never took it. It made him feel weak and small to have to depend on a drug just to get through the day. He took a deep breath as he looked back into the mirror one last time. He could do this. He would go back downtown tomorrow and do anything the director wanted him to do so he could get that money.


	2. Strip

“Strip.”

“Um. What?”

“Strip,” the director who introduced himself as Abraham said. “I need to see what you got to offer, kid.”

Daryl was slightly drowsy from taking a handful of his anxiety prescription before he left the house, but it had also helped him feel surprisingly relaxed and a bit removed from his current reality. 

“Alright,” Daryl said, ducking his head in shame as he glanced around the room. A cameraman and a good looking guy with an aura of pure confidence sat on the nearby couch staring at their phones. The room was set up to look like a living room and a set of over-sized movie lights stood in one corner. Daryl hesitantly pulled his shirt over his head, kicked off his shoes, and started unzipping as Abe walked around him looking him up and down appraisingly. 

“You got a lot of fucked up scars back here, but we could make you the bottom and keep you on your back. Good shoulders, nice narrow waist.”

Daryl dropped his pants and Abe stopped in his tracks, staring at the other man’s cock. “Nice big dick you got there, kid.”

Daryl kept his eyes on his toes, cheeks turning red as he focused on taking steady breaths. 

Abe put a finger under Daryl’s chin and lifted his face to scrutinize his looks. “Kinda hot. You got an innocence going on that the viewers will love.” he said as he trailed a finger down Daryl’s cheek bone. “You’ll do. It’s yours if you want it.”

“When do I get paid?” Daryl asked as he reached for his pants. 

“After the shoot,” Abe answered before he turned his attention to the other two men in the room. “Dwight, get the cameras ready. Grimes, change of plans. You’re gonna be dicking the new kid instead of vice versa.” 

The good-looking guy from the couch looked Daryl up and down with a smile. “I can do that, boss,” he said. 

The director went to a desk and handed Daryl and Rick each a single sheet of paper “Learn the lines.”

Daryl sat on the couch as he looked over the short script.

_  
Open: Man #1 is naked on the couch stroking himself._

_Man #2: walks in the front door in baseball gear._

_Man #1: pulls comforter over his lap. ““Shit, sorry!”_

_Man #2: tugs blanket away. “I can help with that if you want.”_

_Man #1: “Didn’t think you were into guys.”_

_Man #2: “Maybe it’s something I should look into.” Strips  
_

Daryl snorted a laugh and rolled his eyes at the cheesy script.

“Hey man,” the other actor said by way of introduction, “ Rick Grimes.” He put out a hand to shake and Daryl accepted it.

“Daryl. Dixon,” he muttered back.

“I’m pretty thick and there isn’t enough film to spend too much time wasting on prep. You loosened up?”

“Loosened up?”

Rick looked at him like he had two heads and smiled suspiciously as his eyes roamed Daryl’s body from his broad shoulders to his well-muscled calves. “Have you opened yourself up?” Rick asked, leaning in close so he wasn’t too loud. “Like with your fingers or a toy?” he added when Daryl didn’t respond right away.

“Uh, no,” Daryl answered. “But I’ll be fine.” Hell, he’d experienced pain. If there’s one thing he was used to, it was being hurt. Hurt he could do. The thought of it made him finally feel at ease. All he had to do was lie there and tolerate pain and he’d get $500 bucks. Easy money, Daryl thought. _I can do this._

Rick grabbed Daryl’s hand and pulled him into the hallway as Abe and Dwight messed around with the lighting.

“Daryl? How old are you?” Rick asked like a concerned parent.

“‘M twenty,” Daryl answered, puffing up his chest and preparing for a fight.

“Daryl?” Rick asked again.

“What?”

“You a virgin?”

“Don’t matter, man. Flyer didn’t say nothin’ ‘bout that!” Daryl whisper-shouted.

Rick put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, kid. I’ll go easy on you.”

“Don’t have to. I can take it.”

Rick leaned against the wall and folded his arms. “Why you doin’ this? Don’t you want to like…shit, I don’t know...have your first time be special?”

“Was yours?” Daryl snipped back.

Rick was slow to respond but he nodded. “High school sweetheart. Off camera at least.”

“Well, I need the money. And I ain’t got no candy-ass dreams of popping my cherry with a handsome prince in a meadow full a’ flowers.”

Rick chuckled. “Alright. Alright. So a little advice -- the script is the basic set-up, but we can improvise the lines, okay?”

Daryl nodded. 

“Viewers like dirty talk. Can you do that?”

“What I gotta do to prove to you that I ain’t no damn dumb kid?”

“Okay. Lights are ready,” Dwight yelled, and Abe nodded for Daryl to take his clothes off again for the start of the scene.

After some additional direction, they were ready to start shooting. Daryl bit nervously at his thumbnail. He was really gonna do this. He was going to let this stranger fuck him for all the world to see. But $500 bucks. That was a lot of money for just a couple hours of work. And he had to admit, of all the men in the world he’d have to part his legs for, he could have done worse. Rick Grimes was gorgeous. Thick wavy hair that curled at the nape of his neck. Deep blue eyes that crinkled in the corners when he smiled. A deep, slow, southern drawl when he talked. And a long, lean body with sexy bowed legs. Daryl never gave much thought to his homosexuality other than knowing he preferred men. But Rick? He might actually prefer this specific man.

Abe walked over to Daryl and looked down at him on the couch. “You know it’s gotta be hard when you stroke it - right, kid?”

“Oh, yeah. I can...I can…”

“I can help,” Rick said. “Give us five minutes to get some chemistry going. Don’t start rolling yet.”

“Do your thing, Grimes,” Abe said as he pulled out a cell and started clicking away at a text message. 

Rick sat down by Daryl and looked down at the other man’s soft cock. “Nerves, huh?”

“I need this fucking payday, man,” Daryl said, eyes pleading for help.

Rick nodded. “I understand.” He put a warm hand on Daryl’s cock and leaned in to whisper in his ear. “I think you are fucking gorgeous, Daryl. And I am more than looking forward to fucking that tight virgin ass of yours”. He licked from Daryl’s neck up to his earlobe, then bit and tugged at it. Daryl closed his eyes, feeling himself get harder in Rick’s hand. God, the other man’s voice was so fucking sexy. 

“All you gotta do is what I tell you to do. Can you do that, Daryl? Can you obey my every word?”

Daryl nodded as he rutted slowly into Rick’s palm, his cock now straining. “Yeah,” he whispered as the other man put two fingers under his chin and turned his face so they were eye to eye. Daryl held the eye contact, mesmerized by the power and command in Rick’s blue eyes. He gasped as Rick pressed their lips together for a chaste kiss. 

“You ready to do this now?” Rick purred into his ear.

“Uh, yeah. Yes,” Daryl stammered, surprised at the effect the other man had on him. That voice, those eyes...it was like he was in a trance. All he wanted to do was bend to Rick’s will. God, he wished the cameras were gone, wished he could have something like this in real life. 

Abe’s voice snapped Daryl out of his thoughts. “I see you finally got it up. Good. Let’s shoot!” he shouted and Rick went outside the fake door to wait.

“Action!” Abe shouted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hell of a place to end a chapter, right?
> 
> Hope everyone is enjoying the beginning of this ride! Lots more to come! Thanks so much for all the comments so far. I love hearing from all of you!


	3. Action!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stuck in quarantine? Self-isolating? On lockdown? It's terrifying, I know. But maybe reading some fanfiction will help alleviate some of the stress and worries of real life. 
> 
> Everyone, please do your part. Wash hands. Practice social distancing. Avoid crowds. And most importantly- Read fanfiction!

Daryl stroked his now-hard cock, eyes on the door that Rick would be coming through. When it opened he jumped in surprise even though it was expected. He grabbed the throw blanket per the script and covered himself.

“Shit, sorry!”

“I can help with that if you want,” Rick said in that seductive southern drawl. He felt goosebumps break out over his flesh as the other man swaggered towards him before he finally remembered he had a line.

“Didn’t think you were into guys,” Daryl said, his voice more breathless than it usually was.

Rick dropped the bat he was holding and tossed his baseball cap across the room. “Maybe it’s something I should look into,” he said as he tugged the blanket away from Daryl.

“Cut! That’s scene. Good job, guys. Let’s get him lubed up and ready off camera so we can get right to the fucking.”

“You got it, boss,” Rick said. “I’ll take care of it.”

Abe and Dwight busied themselves reviewing the footage as Rick knelt down before Daryl and grabbed a bottle of lube from the drawer in the prop end table. 

“Ever had anything up your ass?” he asked, brow lifted.

“Fuck you. You know I haven’t. Just get to it. I ain’t no wiltin’ flower.”

Rick smiled, two fingers now covered in lube, and he lowered them to Daryl’s entrance. 

“You gotta fuckin’ stare at me like that while you’re doing this?” Daryl snapped

“Yes.”

He flinched at the breach of his ass by one of Rick’s nimble fingers. 

“Your instinct will be to push out, but try to relax your muscles and let me inside.”

“‘S fine,” Daryl said, eyes still locked on Rick’s. He found it was incredibly hard to look away.

“That’s it. Good boy.”

Daryl wanted to growl out an insult but he was too busy concentrating on the new feelings. “Don’t lose the erection,” Rick said and soon he was pumping two fingers in and out of him with one hand and stroking his cock slowly with the other. He was like putty in Rick’s hands. 

“You guys ready?” Abe asked from a lot closer than Daryl had realized he’d be.

“I think we’re good, aren’t we Daryl?” Rick asked. 

“Yeah” Daryl croaked out. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

Abe moved out of the frame and yelled action. Daryl kept slowly stroking his cock as Rick stood in front of him stripping out of his baseball uniform. His chest had just the right amount of hair and the jut of his hips made Daryl’s mouth water. He hadn’t really given much thought to actually having sex with a man. He just knew he was more attracted to strong arms and hard lines. This man in front of him? He was perfection.

Rick was already hard by the time he dropped his pants. “Spread your legs for me,” he commanded and Daryl found himself desperate to obey. He kept his eyes on Rick’s, trying to forget the cameras and the other two men in the room who were watching intently, the camera moving closer to his exposed backside. 

Rick settled between his legs and leaned down for a long, slow kiss as he pushed Daryl’s legs back further. “Hold them open for me, baby,” he whispered and Daryl did as he was told, glancing over at the camera that was now eye level with his bare ass. 

“Keep your eyes on me,” Rick whispered against Daryl’s ear. He’d never felt so awkward and his cock was already starting to soften at the uncomfortable situation. 

“You want my cock to fill you up, don’t you sweetheart?” Rick ad libbed as he leaned in and kissed Daryl gently on the lips. “You been thinking about it. I know you have. I’ve seen the way you look at me.”

Daryl’s mouth had gone dry as Rick took over stroking his dick, getting him hard again. 

“Beg me,” Rick whispered with a devious smile.

Daryl’s body was tingling from head to toe, goosebumps from the cool air, butterflies in his belly from the sexy way Rick delivered his lines. And God, did he want exactly what Rick was offering. He wanted to be filled by this man, to give himself to this Greek God above him.

“Please,” Daryl whispered. 

“Can’t hear you baby, you need to speak up,” Rick said with a subtle nod to the boom hanging overhead.

“Please,” Daryl cried out with a lot more honest need than any kind of acting.

Rick tugged Daryl down further on the couch and lined his cock up with the younger man’s slicked up entrance. 

“Please,” Daryl whimpered again, almost able to forget the other men and the hovering camera and boom mic.

“You beg so sweet, Darlin. How could I say no?” Rick said, and he slowly started pressing his rock-hard cock into Daryl. He felt his entrance as it was breached. It was an unfamiliar feeling, but not completely unpleasant. It felt incredibly intimate and vulnerable and his head fell back against the couch as he whimpered in pleasure. 

“You like being mine?”

“Yes,” Daryl answered. “Fuck me.”

Rick smiled at that, his eyes glued to Daryl’s. “So tight. So beautiful,” Rick whispered, loud enough for the boom to pick up.

Once Rick was fully seated and the camera was zoomed in to Daryl’s ass, Rick started to pump in and out slowly until his pace picked up and became faster, Daryl gasping with each powerful thrust of Rick’s glorious hips. He kept his eyes on Rick’s seeing that the other man was clearly in ecstasy. “Fuck, Daryl,” he whispered, low enough that it was just between them. 

The two of them devolved into groans and whimpers as Rick fucked into Daryl with desperation and what seemed like genuine passion. “I’m gonna come,” Rick finally said.

Out of the corner of his eye, Daryl could see Abe hand motioning direction to Rick and the older man pulled out and finished by jacking off so the camera could capture the cum shot. Daryl leaned up so that he could watch, too. 

Rick’s seed shot out, splattering against Daryl’s still hard cock, then the camera panned in closer as Rick rubbed the cum around with his dick, sliding it back into Daryl’s ass, in and out a few times, Rick breathing heavily above him.

“And Scene!” Abe shouted. “That was GREAT!” He turned to Dwight. “That was GREAT, wasn’t it?” 

“Good stuff, boss,” Dwight agreed.

Rick reached a hand down to pull Daryl to his feet. He was dizzy and desperate with the need to cum.

“You guys can go clean up in the back room and then I’ll have your checks ready before you leave,” Abe said as he put a congratulatory hand on Rick’s shoulder. “That was hot. You guys have a real chemistry on film. The viewers are gonna love it,” he said, turning to Daryl, “Real nice job for a first time, kid.”

Daryl nodded in response, rushing into the back room, where he was already washed off and trying to tug his pants on when Rick came back.

“Hey, hang on, man,” Rick said as he put a firm hand on Daryl’s, stopping him from putting his pants on. Daryl blushed at his still rock-hard cock as Rick slid his hand over it. “Let me help you with that before you go, gorgeous.”

Daryl froze and looked at Rick’s deep blue eyes. 

“No snarky comments?” Rick asked with a boatload of self-confidence.

“I...I just want to get my money and go home,” Daryl said. Hearing the weakness in his own voice, along with a lack of conviction, he couldn’t even convince himself that was true. 

“Not gonna leave ya like this, Daryl. That’s not me.” As they stood, Rick slipped behind the younger man, hugging Daryl’s back to his chest. Daryl loved the warmth of their naked bodies pressed together and if it was even possible he felt himself grow even harder. Rick slipped an arm around him and took a firm grasp of Daryl’s cock, causing the younger man to drop his head back against Rick’s strong shoulder.

As Rick stroked him with agonizing slowness, he peppered kisses along Daryl’s neck. The younger man had no control of his dignity and he moaned at all the sensations that he’d never felt before.

“Good boy,” Rick whispered, and there was something about the way he said it that made Daryl want to be a good boy -- to be Rick’s good boy.

His body was buzzing with the start of an explosive orgasm and when Rick uttered the words, “Be a good boy and come for me,” Daryl shot his seed so far out it hit the wall that was nearly two feet in front of them.

His body was spent and he was glad Rick didn’t just let him go and walk away. Rick held him, kissing his brow. “Need to sit down a minute, Darlin’?”

“M fine,” Daryl grumbled, but he didn’t move an inch to extricate himself from Rick’s arms.

“You’ve had a big morning,” Rick said softly. “Get dressed for me. Let’s go to the diner across the street and get a bite to eat.”

“I ain’t some fucking homeless person you gotta take pity on and feed,” Daryl said as he finally shrugged out of Rick’s hold and cleaned himself off.

“It’s not charity,” Rick said as he licked every drop of Daryl’s cum off his fingers. “And it wasn’t a question.”

“What if I don’t want to have lunch with you?” Daryl grumbled.

“You do,” Rick answered confidently. 

Daryl just looked at the other man, speechless.

“I’m really good at reading people, Daryl,” he said as he handed Daryl his hoodie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments! I love hearing from all of you!


	4. The Diner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Continued thanks to LOTR58 for the beta and encouragement!

Daryl stuffed his check in his jean pocket and, despite his better judgement, followed Rick to the diner across the way. Confused, he stood there after Rick pulled out a chair and waited, looking at him expectantly.

“I’m pulling out this chair for you to sit in,” Rick said with a hundred watt smile. “Hasn’t anyone ever pulled out a chair for you before?”

Daryl plopped down in it. “I can pull out my own damn chair.” He was starting to feel like his normal self again — angry, annoyed, and pissed off.

“Someone as gorgeous as you shouldn’t ever have to pull out his own chair.”

Daryl rolled his eyes. “We’ve stopped rolling. You can cut that shit out now,” he said as he snatched up a menu.

As they quietly perused their menus, Rick leaned over. “Wanna know a secret?”

Daryl shrugged, but his interest was definitely piqued.

“I’m not that good of an actor. That was me devouring you in the way I actually wanted to devour you.”

Daryl was still staring at him, jaw agape, when the waitress arrived. 

“Hey there boys, what can I get ya?” she asked, pen poised, and hip jutted out.

Daryl was still staring at Rick, so the older man took the lead. “How about two turkey specials and…” he looked back to Daryl like he was sizing the man up…”two root beers.”

“Are you actually hitting on me?” Daryl asked as soon as the waitress stepped away.

“I am.”

“Well, why the fuck for? You ain’t gotta wine and dine me now. We already fucked.”

Rick laughed and shook his head. “This industry will eat you alive, kid. You’re gonna need someone looking out for you.”

“Don’t need a damn babysitter,” Daryl snapped, then as he watched the waitress deposit the drinks he added, “How the hell you know I liked root beer?”

“I’m real good at reading people, Daryl.”

Goddamnit. Why does the sound of his name on Rick’s tongue make his knees all wobbly?

“That five hundred is nothing,” Rick said matter-of-factly.

“What’s that mean?” Daryl asked, eyes narrowed.

“I got 1500 for that job.”

Daryl legit spit out his root beer, coughing as Rick rubbed his back.

“Sorry, Darlin’. Should have timed that better.”

“How?” Daryl asked once he finally pulled himself together.

“Been doing it a while. Made a name for myself. There got to be a demand for me, but with you?” Rick said, smiling in that heart-melting way he had. “Won’t take you any time at all. Viewers are gonna fall in love with you. All that naive innocence, those broad shoulders and narrow hips, the sounds you make.”

The waitress put their plates down before Daryl could respond.

“Go ahead. I can tell you haven’t had a good meal lately.”

Daryl didn’t bother sassing back. He picked up a fork and started tearing into the turkey.

“So what made you decide to do this?”

“Do what?” Daryl asked with his mouth full. “Eat?”

Rick chuckled. “No. Respond to the add for the porn. It’s not an easy decision.”

Daryl shrugged his shoulders noncommittally. “Work’s been hard to come by,” he admitted. “And my dumb ass brother’s back in jail. Need the money for bail.” He had no idea why he was opening up so much to a virtual stranger but Rick had this way about him that made Daryl want to confide in him.

“You really need to spend that money on bail?” Rick asked.

Daryl nodded as he shoved in a fork full of stuffing. “He gets in trouble all the damn time. Drugs.”

“Not you, though?” Rick asked. “No drugs for you. I can tell you're a good boy.”

Daryl stopped chewing. There it was again - “good boy”. Why did that have such a hold over him?

He shook his head and swallowed. “Never even tried ‘em. Merle’s ten years older so I seen how bad it was the whole time I’s growin’ up.”

Rick was leaning in and paying complete attention to Daryl’s every single syllable. No one had ever paid him this much attention. No one had ever looked at him like this.

“Well, I’m glad to hear that. About the drugs, not the bail. Sounds to me like you’re still broke then.”

Daryl shrugged as he took the last sip of his root beer. “Always broke. I manage.”

“Go get your brother out of jail. Go home, take a nap,” Rick said as he scribbled down his address and phone number on a napkin. “Come over at 6 for dinner. I’m making lasagna.” He handed Daryl the napkin, then picked up both checks.

“I ain’t looking for a pimp,” Daryl said.

“Good. I’m not looking for a hooker,” Rick replied.

“Then what is this?” Daryl asked, oblivious to social situations.

“This was a date, Daryl,” Rick grinned.

“You always take the guys you fuck across the street out on a date after?”

“Nope,” Rick said as he handed his credit card to the waitress.

“Well, if this was a date then what’s tonight?”

“Second date.”

“I ain’t said yes, yet,” Daryl snapped, trying to keep his bristle instead of allowing himself to melt into a puddle.

Rick put a gentle hand on Daryl’s back as he opened the door for him and again Daryl took notice of the gentlemanly gesture.

“Fine, I’ll come to your stupid fuckin’ second date,” Daryl grumbled, bringing the bright smile back to Rick’s face, the kind that crinkled the corners of his eyes and made his whole face light up.

“My bike’s parked over there,” Daryl said and Rick nodded. 

“I’ll see you tonight, then,” and he leaned in and pressed the most gentle kiss to Daryl’s lips, turned, and walked away.

********************

Daryl stood at the police station desk waiting for them to bring Merle from the cell he’d been in the last few days. He was certain his brother was going to be grumpy as hell that it took him so long to scrounge up the money. He was crossing his fingers that Merle wouldn’t ask how he had gotten it in the first place. He’d have to think up a lie pretty damn quick because no way on God’s green earth that he’d ever admit to how he actually earned it.

“Get yer hands off me! I’m a free man now and I can walk on my own two damn feet!” 

Daryl could hear Merle’s gruff voice from all the way in the back of the building. _Please don’t end up back here again before I can get you out._

“Daryl!” Merle yelled before he even came into view from around the corner. “Daryl! What the fuck took you so goddamn long, boy! I been scratchin’ my ass in that cell for days.”

“Had to dig up some money, asshole.”

“Well you need to dig faster, boy,” Merle growled, followed by a loud belch. 

“You sure you want him back, kid?” the officer with him asked.

Daryl shrugged and followed his older brother out the door. He hadn’t realized the high he had been riding from being with Rick until he was back in his own reality, pulling into their shitty house with Merle already talking non-stop about the pigs that caught him and how it wasn’t his fault this time.

“Merle, I had a long day, man. I’m taking a shower and a nap. If you gotta talk, bro, you gotta call someone that ain’t me.”

“What? I upset your beauty sleep or somethin’? I’m heading off for a drink anyways, so piss off. A good brother would have had me out in hours, not days.”

“Glad to have you back, too,” Daryl answered after the door had already been slammed shut.

After a long, hot shower, Daryl crawled into his bed, set his phone alarm for five, and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need to get back into the habit of responding to all of you who comment! You have no idea how much I appreciate your feedback and encouragement! Hope you are all continuing to enjoy the ride!


	5. Second Date

_”You’re late,” Rick said when he opened the door. “I thought you were my good boy?”_

_Daryl’s stomach sank. He didn’t want to disappoint Rick. How did he end up being so late? He looked at his watch, but his eyes were blurry and he couldn’t read the numbers._

_“I am…” Daryl mumbled softly as he looked down at Rick’s feet, “I am good,” he said, trying more to convince himself of it than Rick. As he waited to hear the older man’s next words, he admired the black leather boots he was wearing. There was something so sexy about them, shiny and black with just a few smudges and fingerprints on them._

_“I believe you. I know you want to be good, Darlin,” Rick said as he lifted Daryl’s chin to make eye contact. “But maybe you can prove it to me so I know for sure.”_

_“Anything,” Daryl said, butterflies in his belly and his cock already straining hard against his jeans._

_“Why don’t you get out of those uncomfortable clothes and get on your knees for me, gorgeous?”_

_Daryl wanted to tell him to fuck off, wanted to turn around and go back home and back to bed, but he couldn’t move. He couldn’t take his eyes off Rick -- his mesmerizing blue eyes, his perfect beard that had tickled him when he’d been kissed, his plump bottom lip that was just screaming for Daryl to suck on it. Those strong bowed legs. That powerful confidence._

_Before he even realized he was doing it, he was naked and lowering himself to his knees in front of Rick, this man who seemed to know him better than anyone else ever had in just a matter of hours._

_He looked up at Rick, waiting, obedient, ready to do anything Rick asked of him._

_“Would you be a good boy and lick my boots for me? If I asked real nice?” Rick licked at his lips and Daryl could see the erection straining the other man’s pants._

_Instead of answering, Daryl leaned down, hands on the floor and rested his forehead on Rick’s right boot before he lifted his head, stuck out his tongue, and ran long, slow licks up and down every square inch of the expensive leather, until each shoe was slick, black, and spotless. The leather felt smooth on his tongue — musky — the smell of raw earthiness filling his nose. As he licked, he could feel pre-cum dripping from his cock, his vulnerable body, bare for Rick to see, tingling in humiliation at the way he wanted the other man so badly that he was willing to lick the man’s shoes. He’d be willing to do more. To do anything._

_When he was finished, he rested his forehead on the floor between Rick’s feet in total supplication._

_“Good boy, gorgeous. You can stand up for me n…”_

BEEEEP BEEEEEP BEEEEEP BEEEEP

Daryl jumped out of bed, startled more from the dream than the alarm. Jesus, he was a sticky mess -- sweating from head to toe and cum staining the front of his boxers. He grabbed his phone and turned off the offending sound as the thoughts of his dream fell from his memory like leaves from an autumn tree.

He woke up remembering his day, the porno, the lunch, picking Merle up from the prison, flurries of a dream about Rick. Stumbling to the shower, he washed himself thoroughly, scrubbing his hair more than normal and hoping he could make his shaggy cut look decent once it dried. He actually wanted to look nice for Rick. There was something about the guy that made Daryl gravitate towards him like the earth to the sun. And he hated that. Hated that someone had that much control over him. But he was already in too deep and he had every intention of being outside Rick Grimes’ door at 6:00 sharp. Well, maybe 6:01 to prove he wasn’t totally owned.

At 5:59 Daryl had been standing in front of Rick’s nice single family home for a good five minutes, biting his thumb nail and looking at the time on his phone. He’d wait til 6:02 to ring the bell so he didn’t seem too eager. He didn’t want to seem like he couldn’t breathe without Rick, but honestly, since they parted that afternoon, breathing hadn’t been easy. Every thought of Rick’s tongue, his body, his fingers made Daryl forget to inhale. 

The door opened right as Daryl watched his phone flip over to 6:00.

“Were you waiting so you could be fashionably late before ringing the bell?” Rick asked.

“I was waitin’ till I was goddamn good and ready,” Daryl snapped back. 

Rick held back a laugh and opened the door for Daryl to come in. 

“Smells good,” Daryl complimented. He didn’t often get home-cooked meals. And by not often, he meant never.

“It’ll be done in about ten minutes. Let me open a bottle of wine. Red or white?”

Daryl shrugged. “Which tastes more like beer?”

Rick started cracking up. “Do you not realize how goddamn cute and funny you are? Do you really not know? I feel like you don’t,” Rick said as he put a gentle hand on Daryl’s back and led him to the kitchen. 

He reached into the fridge and pulled out a Foster’s. “This okay?” he asked.

“Oh, God, yes,” Daryl sighed. “I ain’t sure which wine goes with lasagna but I’m pretty sure Foster’s goes with everything.”

After Rick poured them both a glass of beer, he leaned Daryl against the island and kissed him slow and thoughtfully, prodding tongue and soft lips. “I’m so glad you’re here,” Rick whispered beside his ear before he backed up and checked the oven. 

“So how long’s it take that movie to like…be out there?” Daryl asked.

Rick shut the oven door and leaned against it. “Well,” he said as he took a sip of his beer, “For that type of quick 20 minute film, that will be an online video that will probably be uploaded in about a week or two. We’ll find out about a week after that how well it did and that’s when we can make our move.

“What move?” Daryl asked.

“There was a chemistry between us Daryl, even as naive as you are, you HAD to have felt it. This film is gonna be a huge success and that’s when we try to get you a higher pay grade. They’ll want more of Rick Grimes and Daryl Dixon. Or should I say Dick Grinds and Peter Dickson.”

At Daryl’s look of complete confusion, Rick continued, “Those are the stage names we’re using.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“You get your brother out?” Rick asked as he pulled out a loaf of Italian bread from the oven and started slicing it.”

“Yeah. Can I help with anything?”

“Would you mind setting the table, Darlin?” Rick asked and for some reason Daryl moved like he’d get a better grade in school if he did it fast enough.

“Did he ask where you got the money?”

“Just wanted to know why it took so damn long. He ain’t much for conversation. Went out to the bar as soon as I got him home.”

Rick pulled out the lasagna and it looked like something off a cooking show. “That’s good. Then you got your nap and shower like I told you to, right?”

“Yeah,” Daryl said, his thoughts vaguely tingling from the dream he woke from. 

“Rick?” Daryl asked after the food was in front of them and he started diving into his first bite of lasagna. “I don’t get it.”

“Get what, Darlin’”

“Why you...helped me jack off at the studio...why you wanted a first date...why you wanted a second…”

“What don’t you understand?”

“I’m...I’m…me. I ain’t got no job, I ain’t got no good clothes. Got scars all over, you had ta see ‘em. I ain’t easy on the eyes. I’m always grouchy.”

“That’s what you see,” Rick explained like it was all he had to say. 

He took a bite of lasagna and washed it down with a sip of beer before Daryl finally burst out “Well what the fuck do YOU see?”

Rick sat back in his chair and cocked his head, a habit Daryl had already taken notice of.

“I see someone who’s been hurt and abused all his life. Someone who wants so badly to be taken care of but damn well doesn’t want to admit it. Someone who wants to please and be pleased. I see someone who wants to be loyal and loving, but who doesn’t yet know how to do those things. I see someone with a heart of gold that no one knows exists but me. And I see someone with stunning eyes, broad, breathtaking shoulders, and an adorably lopsided smile, that makes me want to earn every laugh and grin I can get.”

After a few moments of Daryl just staring at Rick, a fork full of lasagna in midair, Rick continued. “Can you tell me why you came here? What YOU see?”

“Ain’t good with words and shit,” Daryl said, hating how true it was. 

“Not gonna grade you on it, Darlin’. Just want to make sure I’m not reading things wrong. What do you see in me? Take your time. I have all night to just gaze at you and wait for your answer.”

Daryl took a bite of lasagna to buy himself some time. And after a few minutes he started struggling to tell Rick his feelings. 

“You make good lasagna.”

“Thank you,” Rick said with a smile. 

“And you...you’re like real pretty. You smile nice. Makes me wanna smile when you do it. And you’re nice to me. Makes me want to...” he laughed a bit and took another long guzzle of beer to work up his nerve. “Makes me want to do about any damn thing you ask. Want to be...y’know...good. For you.”

“Jesus Fucking Christ, Daryl Dixon. You are everything I’ve been waiting for.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Daryl is in deep now! There's no turning back! Hope everyone is able to take breaks from the news and enjoy this little fanfiction ride. Be safe and stay healthy.


	6. Good Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! An update after only one day! Hearing that folks are frantically checking e-mails for an update made me want to give everyone a Sunday surprise! I won't be able to keep up with daily posts since work is very busy right now (even though I'm working from home). But I will do what I can and continue to promise 2-3 posts per week.

After dinner, Daryl dried the dishes as Rick washed them, the conversation surprisingly easy. They talked about baseball and bikes and several of the other actors Rick had worked with. As soon as they finished cleaning up, Rick led Daryl to the living room.

“So, Abe called while you were in the bathroom after dinner,” Rick started.

“He did? About what? Don’t he like me or somethin’?” Daryl asked, already bristling for a fight.

“Oh no, he liked you. Quite a bit in fact. He’s banking on this little flick from earlier today making enough of an impact that he wants to have another movie as back-up to drop right away. One with the two of us again.”

Daryl grinned. He knew it was lopsided and goofy looking, but Rick seemed to like it. “Cool.”

“I tried to get you a grand for it, but Abe isn’t convinced yet that you are gonna be a big deal...which by the way you are. I was able to get you $750, though.”

“Get the fuck OUT!” Daryl shouted. Seven hundred and fifty dollars! For one afternoon of making out with someone he’d clearly already fallen head over heels for? How in the HELL did a Dixon get this goddamn lucky!? “I mean, thanks, man. Is there...like...any kind of plot or anything?”

“It’s a BJ scene. You’ll be the giver and I’ll be the recipient. It shoots next week.”

“Okay.”

Rick smiled that confident smile of his and ran his fingers through Daryl’s mop of hair. “You ever given a BJ, darlin’?”

“Shit,” Daryl answered, realizing that he actually didn’t really know how to do one proper.

“Hey, no worries. How about I teach you right now? Why don’t you take your clothes off and kneel between my legs?”

The memory of Daryl’s dream crashed back into his consciousness hard and he knew pretty quickly that he’d obey despite his latent instinct to argue. He almost lost his footing when he stood. He undressed, his eyes connected to Rick’s the whole time, with no noise other than their breath. Daryl could almost hear his own heartbeat in his ears. Once his clothes were shed he knelt, eyes still on Rick’s. 

“I like the way you keep your eyes on mine, sweetheart.” He ran a hand through Daryl’s hair again and then traced a finger along his jawline, leaving a thumb resting on Daryl’s lips. 

Knowing what Rick must want, Daryl opened his mouth and accepted the thumb. 

“Good boy,” Rick said softly. “Suck on it and try to be careful with your teeth. Swirl your tongue around...experiment.”

Daryl let his eyes drop shut as he focused on sucking Rick’s offered digit, moving his tongue along the knuckle, the pad of his thumb, moving his lips all the way down to the base and then back up to the nail. 

“I think you’re going to be a natural, Sweetheart. You ready for the real thing?”

Daryl opened his eyes, latching onto Rick’s admiring gaze immediately. “Yes.”

Rick stood up and took his time undressing, both men, keeping their eyes locked. Once Rick sat back down, Daryl licked his lips at the sight of the other man’s rock hard cock. He hadn’t gotten a very good look at it during the shoot. It was bigger than his own and he knew just from being in the locker room back in high school that he was larger than normal. So Rick was above and beyond even that. How in the hell was he going to fit that whole thing down his throat? 

“Look at me,” Rick ordered gently, shaking Daryl out of his trance. “I know it’s big. You can use your hand for the base for whatever you can’t get down. There’s also a way you can focus and relax your throat, let it slide in slow. Practice will help with the gag reflex. Do the same thing you did with my thumb. Use your tongue, explore, careful with the teeth, move your lips up and down. Use your hand to cup my balls a bit, but focus on the shaft. Lick it…like you worship it. Does that all make sense?”

Daryl nodded.

“Okay darlin, go ahead. Take your time.”

As soon as Daryl opened his mouth and slid his lips over Rick’s dick he felt fingers sift into his hair, Rick’s hand just gently grounding him where he was.

His mouth had already been watering so he had a lot of saliva to work with. He moved his lips as far down to the base as he could. 

“Don’t rush, sweetheart. Take your time before you try going too deep.”

Daryl slowed down. He focused on the licking for a bit, each long lick earning him a soft moan from the man above him. Once he latched on completely again he swirled his tongue, moving up and down the shaft, enjoying the taste of Rick’s skin, his musky scent, the feel of the other man’s hand softly cupping the back of his head.

He remembered about relaxing the throat and took a deep breath before he tried to slowly, very slowly, slide his lips down towards the base of Rick’s large cock. 

“Good boy,” Rick praised. “Good boy. Are you relaxing your throat?”

Daryl nodded, his mouth still completely full of cock. “You’re a quick learner, sweetheart. Your mouth feels so fucking good. Now try swirling your tongue a bit more, pay some special attention to the head, kiss it a few times as you suck. The camera will like a lot of opportunity to see my dick, so the licking and kissing is important to keep going back to.”

Rick lifted Daryl’s chin with a finger. “Open your eyes and look at me while you’re sucking my cock. Don’t forget the balls,” Rick said gently, his voice deep and husky and desperate.

Looking Rick in the eye as his mouth was full of the other man’s cock was a whole new kind of vulnerable that Daryl loved the awkward feeling of. He loved being vulnerable to Rick’s more experienced, more powerful, sexual prowess. There was something calming about it, something like relief, like peace, like comfort.

“Kiss the tip,” Rick said. And Daryl obeyed, cupping the other man’s balls gently as he did, earning groans of delight.

“Lick a long line up the underside of my cock,” Rick instructed, breathless. And Daryl did.

“Relax your throat again and see how much of me you can take.” And Daryl swallowed as much as he could, using his hand at the base. When his eyes fell shut again, Rick admonished him. “No, no, no, baby. Eyes open, on mine.”

Daryl opened his eyes and watched Rick’s huge, dark black pupils. “I’m gonna hold your head steady now and fuck your mouth. They’ll definitely want some of that. Keep your throat relaxed, if you gag a bit, it’s okay. That plays well on camera, too.

Daryl forced his eyes to stay on Rick’s as the older man put a second hand up to Daryl’s head and held him in place as he fucked Daryl’s mouth. He was slow about it at first and then sped up, going a bit deeper each time until Daryl gagged. 

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Rick said as he eased back and fucked him slower, not going back quite as far. “Good boy. You’re doing an amazing job for me, baby. I’m gonna come any minute. The camera will want the come shot so we’re not gonna swallow this time, okay?”

Daryl nodded as Rick kept sliding his dick in and out. After a few heaving breaths, Rick pulled out and jacked his cock just two or three times until his cum sprayed over Daryl’s face and chest.

“Now lick the cum off your lips really slow,” Rick instructed, even though he was out of breath. Daryl obeyed. “Goddamn, Daryl. You are fucking amazing.”

“I did good?” Daryl asked, so desperate for the praise that he was no longer beyond asking for it. 

“Yes, you did. You’re my good boy, aren’t you?”

Daryl blushed and smiled. “Like being good,” he said softly, his eyes on the carpet, not even wiping the cum from his face until he was instructed to do so.

Rick knelt down on the floor in front of Daryl and ran a finger through the cum on his cheek. He rubbed it all over Daryl’s face as if it was lotion. He did the same with the cum on his chest. It felt sticky and cool on his skin and it felt like he was marked as Rick’s, a thought that made his already hard cock throb for attention.

“I like having my scent on you,” Rick whispered in Daryl’s ear. “If you promise me you won’t wash it off til morning, I’ll let you cum.”

Rick leaned back so he could see Daryl’s face for his response. There was a part of the younger man that wanted to lash out. _Fuck you! I’ll cum when I want. I don’t need your permission for nothin’!”_

That was Daryl’s default setting — angry, pissed off, with a chip on his shoulder. But Rick _did_ something to him. He made Daryl...not mad. Something about the man tamed his wild edges and filled him with serenity and this new desire for approval and praise that if he thought about long enough made sense for him to crave.

Rick was gentle, intense. He was sin and sainthood all wrapped up into one and Daryl wanted to worship at the altar of him forever. 

“Okay,” Daryl finally answered. 

Rick smiled and cocked his head deep in thought. “Hmmm...how to let you cum. So many options.”

“I don’t care what you do, man. I just need to cum. Ain’t gonna take but a second anyway.”

“Oh. So sucking me off turned you on quite a bit, huh?”

Daryl gestured with both hands at his hard, straining dick. “Ain’t that pretty obvious?”

“Getting pretty sassy there, Darlin. Thought you liked being my good boy.” Rick reached out and cupped Daryl’s chin, pulling his face closer for a slow, deep kiss.

The raw emotion in it made Daryl nearly fall over from his weak knees wobbling.

“If it won’t take but a second, Darlin’. Why don’t you hump my calf, cum on my leg, and let me watch you lick it off.”

Daryl’s eyes widened. He had no idea how kinky he was until Rick showed him how hot these kinds of things were. The mere thought of him submitting to Rick this way made him lightheaded, made his cock leak, and made his heart beat harder in his chest.

The older man sat back up on the couch and put out a leg for Daryl, waiting patiently for the other man to obey. Daryl had a feeling that Rick knew full well he would.

When he straddled Rick’s calf and started rutting against it, he felt Rick’s fingers tilting his chin up. “Let me see those dark eyes, sweetheart.”

The way Rick wanted to _see_ him, the way Rick’s hot flesh felt against Daryl’s straining length, the thought of being _good_ nearly made Daryl forget his own name as he rutted one last time and, with several meek whimpers, came all over Rick’s strong calf.

“I love watching you cum,” Rick said softly.

After a moment of catching his breath and gathering his thoughts, he remembered the rest of the instruction. He sat back on his heels and leaned down, licking his cum off of Rick’s leg as he kept the eye contact that he knew the older man would want.

“Goddamn, Daryl,” Rick whispered, breathy and weak. “I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this yet, but I _really_ like you.”

Daryl’s laugh was so unexpected that it came out as a snort and he bashfully covered his smile with his hand.

Rick reached out and gently pulled Daryl’s wrist away. “Please. Don’t ever cover that smile.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll try again to post a chap around mid-week! Thank you again to LOTR58 for the beta and thanks to all of you for reminding me how fun it can be to post a fic.


	7. Wrapped Around My Finger

Daryl walked in the door to his rented piece-of-shit house around quarter after eleven, disheveled, fully spent, his body still tingling with thoughts of Rick’s touch. Merle was passed out on the couch, a bag of coke just lying out on the table for anyone walking in to see. Daryl rolled his eyes, picked up the bag, and tossed it in the trash can. “Idiot,” he murmured as he headed down the hall to his room. 

He took a look in his dresser mirror in an attempt to try to see himself the way Rick said he did. He touched his face and felt the stickiness of the older man’s seed. He could still smell the sex all over him and it was intoxicating. His hair was a goddamn mess, poking out in all directions from Rick’s fingers sifting through and clutching at the strands over the course of the night. He looked well and thoroughly fucked. He bit at his lip as he examined his eyes and thought about looking up into Rick’s eyes from the floor. There was something in his reflection that he couldn’t quite recognize as he continued to scrutinize himself. And then it finally dawned on him. There was no anger in his eyes. No aggression or annoyance. His eyes just looked...relaxed, at peace. That is what Rick was doing for him. He was downright, one hundred percent, in over his head already. In one damn day. 

He collapsed on his bed, having every intention of leaving Rick’s scent on him for the night as instructed. The thought of being obedient gave him butterflies. 

The phone in his pocket rang as he lay wide awake, knowing full well that sleep was gonna be way out of reach. His mind was a swirl of thoughts and feelings and, try as he might, he could not shut down that inner hurricane.

He looked at his phone and as he anticipated, it was Rick.

“‘Lo?” Daryl answered.

“Still carrying my scent, Darlin?”

Daryl sat up against the headboard and responded with a frown. “Said I would.”

“Forgot to ask you something before you left. “You got a hobby? Something you like to do?” Rick asked.

Daryl wrinkled his brow at such an odd question. 

Since it took a while for Daryl to say anything, Rick continued, “No need to worry. Just want to get to know you better. What do you like to do for fun?”

“Kinda liked being underneath of you,” Daryl finally said, as quietly as he could in an effort not to wake Merle in the other room.

“Oh, I know you like that, baby. But pretend I don’t exist. And if money or time were no issue. What do you most like doing?”

Daryl couldn’t think of a damn thing. Most of his life was one struggle after another without much time for relaxing or having a hobby in between. He looked over at his opened closet, unhung clothes spilling out onto the floor, and noticed his old fishing rod. He hadn’t been in ages. Merle said hunting was more productive for providing food. Fish didn’t fill him up.

Daryl liked fish. He was pretty good at preparing them, too. He used to go out fishing when he was a kid just to get some peace and quiet - to get away from his old man’s insults, his cursing and complaining, his punishments which still laid claim to Daryl’s back to this day. In the later years, he’d go fishing to get away from Merle when he was out-of-his mind high and too annoying to be around.

“I like fishing.” Daryl finally answered.

“When was the last time you went fishing?” Rick asked. Daryl could hear the other man move around on the other end as if he was trying to get comfortable for a longer conversation.

“Jesus, I don’t hardly remember. Probably a year or so ago. Merle was going through a whore stage and he was having one after another over to the house, snorting coke and fuckin’ all night. Had to get out of the house. It was drivin’ me nuts. Went camping for a few days, actually. Took my gear. Fishin’s real peaceful. Quiet. I like that.”

“I have actually never been,” Rick admitted.

“How you as old as you are and you ain’t been fishing?” Daryl asked.

“Did you just call me old?” Rick laughed.

“There’s a few grey’s in that sexy beard,” Daryl said, finding a newfound confidence in conversation. Rick just put him at ease in every way, shape, and form.

“They’re premature. I’m only 32!” Rick pouted. 

“I like the grey’s,” Daryl said. 

“Well, that’s good since I have twelve years on you. You’ll be seeing a lot more of them on me before you even get your first wrinkle, sweetheart.”

“Hope you’ll want to keep seeing me that long,” Daryl said nervously as he started biting on a thumbnail.

Rick laughed, this low, gentle rumble that warmed Daryl from head to toe. “Daryl, you got no idea how much you got me wrapped around your finger.”

“Seems like I should be the one saying that, man. I’m the one droppin’ to my knees for you like a kid beggin’ for candy.”

“You know, baby. You’re the one who lets me put you on your knees. Don’t be confused about how this relationship is working. You’re in control, not me. You say you don’t want to do something I ask for, we don’t do it. You know that, right?”

Daryl shrugged and worked harder on his thumbnail.

“Did you just shrug? Cause you know I can’t hear that over the phone.”

“Oh,” Daryl laughed, “Yeah. Like, I don’t know. I guess I know. Frankly, I can’t think of anything you’d ask me to do that I’d say no to.”

“You know what I want you to do, Daryl?”

“What?”

“I want you to take me fishing.”

Daryl laid back down in his bed, cuddling the phone to his ear like it was a teddy bear.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. What are you doing Thursday?”

“Shit, you know I ain’t doin’ nothin’.”

“So it’s a date then. Noon?”

Daryl laughed, almost a giggle. “Ain’t nobody fishes at noon. ‘S gotta be first thing in the morning, ‘round sunrise or last thing at night ‘round sundown.”

“Sounds like I have a lot to learn. How about 5 pm? Dinner first. I know a great place that isn’t far from the lake.”

“Okay. I...I um...I really like you a lot, too. I forgot to say that earlier.”

“You couldn’t have put a bigger smile on my face. I’m gonna fall asleep with that thought in my head, darlin’. You have sweet dreams and I’ll see you in two days.”

“Okay.”

“Don’t forget. You have my phone number if you want to chat before then. I’d love to hear that voice of yours any time.”

“Okay,” Daryl said. His eyes had already dropped shut from such a long draining day. “See you then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone is enjoying the ride! I've been doing a lot of Rickyl reading and writing and it's a fantastic escape from the world right now.
> 
> Something else to put a smile on your face- be sure to check out Andrew Lincoln's song to Dania:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0KRn64_1gY
> 
> I miss Andrew Lincoln/Rick Grimes SOOOOOOOOOOOOo much!


	8. Arrested

Daryl didn’t call or text Rick all day Wednesday. Mostly to prove to himself that he wasn’t obsessed. But really, it proved the opposite because Rick didn’t leave his thoughts for a single second. 

When he was sitting on the couch watching an old episode of _Mountain Men_ , his phone dinged with a message. He pulled it out and thanked whatever god there was that Rick couldn’t hold out. 

Thankfully, Merle was out again so he stretched out on the couch and read his message.

_Hey gorgeous_

_Thought you’d forgotten all about me already,_ Daryl responded.

 _Never. Thought about you quite a lot when I woke up this morning. Got pretty messy._ Rick teased.

Daryl smiled like a school girl at the thought of Rick naked, sweaty, and spent, tangled up in his sheets from jerking off to thoughts of him. 

_I might have given you a passing thought in the shower this morning. Lost your scent. :-( Sure would like to get it back._

They chatted for another half hour and left the conversation with the promise to meet at La Bella Italia at 5 pm the following night.

Daryl was in bed already when he heard Merle stumble in with a few friends. He could hear the snorting from his brother’s bedroom and just hoped no one was shooting up this time. Merle had a goddamn hearing in a week about his last drug bust and it was like he was going out of his way to get caught again, which meant his sentence would be even worse. In his heart, Daryl figured Merle knew this next hearing wasn’t gonna be measured in months. It was going to be in years. Daryl just hoped his brother didn’t die before he had to show up for court.

**********************************  
BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG

Daryl bolted awake at the sound of fists pounding on the front door. “Police! Open Up!” They hollered and Daryl could hear several people trying to scurry out the back door, which anyone who’s ever watched a cop show knows was being covered. 

The front door broke down as Daryl had just zipped up his pants and come around the corner to answer it. The living room was empty, Merle and his friends having taken off for the back steps and Daryl could hear the cops out back rounding them up.

The man in front of Daryl, the same man who released Merle to him a few days before, nodded at his wrists. “Gotta cuff ya and take ya in man,” he said, as the other cops started clearing the rest of the house. 

“I’m arrested?” Daryl asked.

“Look, I know you ain’t in all this, kid. I been seeing you pick up your dumb ass brother from the drunk tank for years and before that, your old man. But gotta follow the rules here and you’re sitting in a house covered in cocaine and crack.”

“Ain’t mine.”

“I know. You’ll get out quick. Promise.” He cuffed Daryl, being gentle about it.

“Sorry about my brother, Officer umm…”

“Officer Walsh. You ain’t your brother’s keeper. Ain’t on you. Just got caught in the crossfire today. We’ll get it cleared up at the station.”

Officer Walsh was careful with Daryl as he helped guide him into the cop car by resting a hand on top of his head and all Daryl could think of was how to get out in time to meet Rick at 5:00. These things took forever and it was already 11am.

**************************************

Daryl sat on the bench in the cell, quiet and dejected, as Merle yelled at the officers with a litany of curse words, his friends chiming in as well.

Officer Walsh walked past the insults and leaned against the bars by Daryl. “You get a phone call.”

“Don’t got no one to call,” Daryl answered, trying not to sound too angry since the cop had been decent to him. He sure as hell didn’t want to start any more trouble. 

He knew he could call Rick. Even felt certain the man would post the bail and come get him, but he was just too damned ashamed. He didn’t want to remind this man that he had totally fallen for what a piece of white trash he was. He wanted to be good. Being in jail was most decidedly not good.

Walsh nodded. “Okay, kid. Hang in there.”

Around three Daryl’s stomach was in knots, he was never gonna get out in time for his date. His belly felt like a rock had settled in it - hard and heavy. He was used to disappointment. But this one was hard.

Merle and his friends had finally fallen asleep on benches, two of them on the damn floor. Officer Walsh came back to their cell door and unlocked it quietly, clearly trying not to wake up the troublemakers.

“Bail’s posted,” he said quietly to Daryl. “Come on out, kid.”

“How?” Daryl asked once he was outside the jail cell.

“You had someone to call. Just too ashamed to do it I guess, huh?”

“But I…”

“Rick Grimes is my best friend. He’s been talking about you non-stop so I called him myself when you wouldn’t,” Walsh glanced back at him. “He ain’t pleased that you didn’t make that call yourself.”

Once they walked out to the front desk area, Rick stood up from one of the chairs. “Daryl. You okay?”

“‘M fine,” Daryl answered, averting his eyes. Walsh handed him his bag of things and as Daryl tucked his wallet back in his pocket and strapped on his watch, Rick and the officer spoke quietly beside him.

“Thanks, Shane. Honestly. I can’t thank you enough. I don’t know why he didn’t call me,” Rick said.

“You know, his old man was a real mean piece of shit and his brother’s a moron. You been good to him. He probably just didn’t want to disappoint you,” Shane responded in a low voice.

“Y’all need ta stop talkin’ ‘bout me like I ain’t standin’ right fuckin’ here!” Daryl yelled, regretting it immediately. “Ain’t a damn kid,” he muttered softer.

“You’re right, Daryl. That was rude of me,” Rick said as he put a gentle hand on the younger man’s back. “I just wanted to thank Shane for letting me know where you were. I’d have been worried sick if you didn’t show tonight.” 

After Shane and Rick said their good-byes, Rick led Daryl out the door, his hand never leaving the younger man’s back. 

Daryl didn’t know if he was thankful for Rick’s silence as he walked him to his car or if he was pissed about it. When Rick wordlessly opened the passenger side door, Daryl finally made eye contact. “I’m sorry.”

Rick leaned against the car. “For what, darlin?”

“For what? Jesus. For ending up in jail. And for like...I guess for not calling you.”

“Wasn’t your fault Shane had to bring you in. That was on Merle. I do wish you would have called me, though.”

“Sorry I wasn’t...wasn’t…”

“Sorry you weren’t what, sweetheart?”

Daryl looked down at his feet. “Sorry I wasn’t...good. For you.”

Rick put his fingers under Daryl’s chin and forced the eye contact. “Let’s go ahead up to the lake. Take a walk maybe and kill some time before dinner. Have a talk. Then we’ll spend the evening fishing under the stars. Does that sound okay?”

Daryl nodded. 

“Don’t make me beg to hear that sexy voice of yours.”

“Yeah, sounds okay,” Daryl said softly. Rick leaned in and kissed him with so much respect and tenderness that it almost brought the younger man to tears. 

They parked at a fishing spot near the lake about a mile from the restaurant if you walked it through the woods. They’d walk to dinner then take the walk back to fish. The sky was clear and Daryl insisted he’d have no problem navigating them back by the moon and stars.

Rick took Daryl’s hand as they started walking down the barely-trodden path that led to the restaurant. No one else was around and the fact that it was just him and Rick let Daryl breathe easier. He still had a growing anxiety in his belly from not calling Rick. He knew he’d disappointed the other man and that was the last thing Daryl ever wanted to do.

“Tell me about your father,” Rick said as they walked, cocking his head and looking at Daryl with complete attention.

Daryl looked over and then looked back down.

“Don’t really want to. Makes me...makes me not feel good.”

“Okay, sweetheart. We don’t have to talk about it now. Maybe sometime I can get you curled up in my lap with a warm blanket and some soft music and we can talk about the hard stuff.”

“Or we don’t gotta never talk ‘bout it,” Daryl suggested.

Rick laughed. “How am I gonna know how to take care of you, how to give you what you need, if I don’t understand you completely?”

“Why you wanna give me all that stuff? I mean...It’s just fuckin’, right?”

Rick shook his head as he watched his own footsteps. “No. It’s not just fucking. I want everything with you, Daryl. Want to be your everything, want to give you everything.” He looked back to Daryl and met his eyes. “You feel this connection between us, don’t you?” he asked softly.

Daryl was so entranced in Rick’s gaze that he almost tripped over his own two feet. He laughed as he straightened himself up but looked to the ground as he answered. “I know I want you...want this thing,” he said as he motioned between them.

As they walked up to a fallen log, Rick leaned against it and motioned for Daryl to join him. “Tell me the things you like about what we have so far. Don’t be shy about anything you like. I really want to know.

Daryl took a deep breath and bit his lip as he tried to find words to describe the things he could barely understand himself.

“Why don’t you get on your knees in front of me, darln’? Rest your head on my lap and take your time thinking. I won’t make you meet my eyes for this. I know it’s hard.”

Without hesitation, Daryl dropped to his knees and rested his head on Rick’s knees, the other man immediately sifting his fingers through Daryl’s choppy, too-long hair.

“I’ll start by telling you something I like,” Rick offered. “I like to do things that make you smile and I like that you allow yourself to be vulnerable for me, that you trust me enough already to obey me. I like the idea of learning you, Daryl, so that I can learn what you need and when you need it, so I can take care of you and watch you blossom. It turns me on to have you depend on me for things. For you to want me, need me, look to me.”

Daryl brought his thumb up to his lips and bit at his nail, trying desperately not to accidentally start sucking it ,a habit he occasionally still had even at twenty when his emotions were high.

Rick kept petting the younger man, giving him all the time in the world to respond.

“I like bein’ good for ya cause it makes ya happy. And it makes me happy when ya say nice good things...like I’m a good boy.”

“Yes, praise motivates you. I could tell that right away, sweetheart.”

“I don’t like thinkin’ too much. Sometimes it gets...hard...like in my head. When you have me on my knees, or you’re guiding our talkin’, it stops my head and I'm just here. With you and for you and ain’t got no other worries and it’s such a relief to have all the bad stuff stop for a bit.”

“I have a lot of ways I can help your mind go blank of worry and stress. Lotta ways I can help you relax. Takes a lot of trust, though. Do you trust me, darlin’?

Daryl nodded against Rick’s knee.

“How are you feeling right now. Does anything have you filled with anxiety now? Anything weighing on you we should talk about before dinner?”

Daryl could feel his eyes start to fill with tears and he was so glad Rick wasn’t forcing the eye contact this time. “I feel terrible that I didn’t call ya,” he said, his voice cracking as he tried to stifle the tears.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. I forgave you, remember?”

“I was bad and I need to be...punished somehow. It gets this heavy feeling out of my belly.”

“Okay, so you need punishment. And you probably like rules so you always know what’s good and what’s bad. Is that a good assumption?”

“Yeah,” Daryl said, mostly sob and hiccup.

“We can take care of those things. Here’s what we’ll do...we’ll have a nice dinner. Then we’ll do a little fishing. Then you’ll come back to my place and we’ll get you a nice spanking so that you know to always call me when you are in trouble. Does that sound good?”

“Yeah,” Daryl answered, quickly noticing that the thought of his spanking was both easing his tension and making him hard.

“Then we’ll talk about rules. We can make them up together, okay?”

Daryl nodded again.

“Stand up with me, baby,” Rick said as he took the younger man’s hand and helped him to his feet. “I’m gonna take such good care of you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was tonight's episode amazing or what?!!


	9. Rules

At the restaurant, Daryl insisted he wasn’t sure what he wanted and asked Rick to choose for him. Rick ordered steak for himself and salmon for Daryl, both of them also getting green beans and baked potatoes. Rick had ordered two root beers, explaining that the talk they were planning on having later shouldn’t be had when alcohol was involved. 

As they ate, they talked about more standard things - Rick’s love of music, the piano that was his prized possession, and how Rick also made a modest amount of money songwriting. Daryl’s ability to fix motorcycles, cars, tractors, or just about anything that had a motor in it. Daryl went over the gist of fishing as they ate and talked about how he was pretty good at cooking up anything they might catch. 

“Try the steak,” Rick said at one point and he held a piece up on a fork for Daryl to lean in and take. They kept their eyes on one another and there was something incredibly intimate about taking food that was handed to him like that. Daryl thought more about how Rick talked about his dependence on him. He would love to have someone he could depend on, someone who would take care of him the way Rick seemed to want to. If it weren’t for the ball of anxiety in his stomach over not calling Rick, he’d be feeling really damn good right now. He just needed the punishment so he’d really know he was forgiven. It didn’t seem real otherwise - like it was just words.

The walk back to the car and the fishing spot was mostly just goofy giggling and stupid jokes. Daryl had never had anyone like this in his life before and the worry over it possibly not lasting very long made him a little nauseous. 

Luckily, Rick had been planning to surprise Daryl with new fishing gear, so everything they needed was in the trunk of his car. They sat on the bank under the twilight sky, Daryl catching three catfish and Rick sadly catching none. 

As they sat side-by-side fishing for a good hour, Daryl hoped Rick was enjoying the night air and the cool breeze and the quiet and peacefulness of fishing. He’d love to come do it again some time. 

By the time they got back to Rick’s house, it was nearly 9:00. Rick took off his coat and helped Daryl out of his.

“Why don’t you take the rest of your clothes off, darlin’ and pile them nicely on the coffee table? We’ll take care of this punishment you need, okay?

“Okay,” Daryl answered, feeling a bit lighter already and quick to start tugging off his clothing. Rick sat in the middle of the couch and motioned for Daryl to come lie across his lap and Daryl was eager to obey the unspoken command. 

“Have you been spanked before?” Rick asked as he rubbed his hand over Daryl’s backside.

“Whipped mostly. Scars are still there,” Daryl answered.

“I see that. Where is your old man? He live nearby?”

“He’s dead.”

“Good,” Rick answered. “Then I need you to try to remember that he IS dead. That he’s not here with you now, he’s not hurting you, he’ll never hurt you again. And if what you need from me is some physical punishment when you make a little mistake, I’ll happily give it to you, but only because you want it. I want to see you feel the relief that it will give you, okay?

“Okay.”

“I know this is just a simple spanking, but we should maybe have a safeword in case our activities get any more...intense. You know what a safeword is?”

“Yeah, I say it and you gotta stop.”

“That’s right, sweetheart,” Rick praised as he continued rubbing Daryl’s ass. The attention on it was making him hard and he knew Rick had to feel his growing cock against his thigh.

“What will your word be?”

“I don’t know,” Daryl said, sounding a little more worried about it then he intended to.

“Too much pressure to think fast, I know. How about I pick one out for you?”

“Okay,” Daryl said.

“Red. Red means stop. Yellow means slow down. Green means you are good. You can use your colors anytime you need to and sometimes I might stop and check on you and ask your colors, okay?”

“Yeah,” Daryl said, trying his best not to rut against Rick’s thigh.

“Tell me the colors again. Show me you were a good boy who was paying attention even with that painful hard-on,” Rick teased.

“Red is stop. Yellow means slow. Green means everything is good,” Daryl repeated. 

“Perfect. I know you struggle to make decisions, so I’ll decide how many spanks you get okay? I’ll give you ten and when the ten are done that will mean that you’ve had your punishment and I forgive you for not calling me and you won’t have to feel bad about it anymore, okay?

“Yes. Please,” Daryl whispered, noticing a bit of drool starting to leak out the side of his mouth as his head rested on the sofa pillow. 

The first strike startled Daryl for some reason. He wasn’t sure why, Rick had talked it to death before he started. It stung, not like his father’s whips, but more like an intimate reminder. A warm hand, Rick’s warm hand. The second smack came quickly after the first and then again and again, alternating cheeks until Rick reached ten. It was harder than Daryl thought Rick would be comfortable doing, but it washed over him like relief. He could feel how red his ass must look. Rick started rubbing his hand back over his now-punished ass, trying to soothe the sting. “You’re forgiven,” Rick made a point of saying afterwards and Daryl was so relieved he felt tears spring to his eyes again. “You’re my good boy, Daryl. Took all ten smacks like a good boy.”

“Is your ass too sore to get on your knees and sit back on your heels?”

“No, I think it would feel good,” Daryl admitted, strangely unashamed.

He did as he was told and Rick stood, walking over to stand by the kitchen island, taking out a pad and paper. 

“Rules. Before we start there, I don’t like you living in a crack house. I would like for you to come live with me. I know it’s only been a few days for us, but Daryl, I know what I want when I see it. I’m hoping you’ll be willing to give me the chance to show you what I can offer.”

“Ain’t a charity case,” Daryl groused, even though he was in the most submissive pose - bare-assed and on his knees with a red backside and a hard dick. For some reason he even folded his arms behind his back without even being told. It just seemed more...respectful.

“I’m not offering for you to live here because I think you are a charity case. I’m offering because I like you and I want to be able to take care of you in every way.”

“Okay. If that’s what you want,” Daryl finally answered.

“It is.”

Rick turned back to the notepad on the counter and said “Rules” aloud as he spelled it out.

“Number one. Daryl must do everything that Rick asks, unless he uses his safeword.” he looked back to Daryl for his nod of agreement.

“Number two. Using the safeword will NEVER result in punishment or breaking up.” Again, Daryl nodded.

“Now, I want you to think about some of the ways _you_ want this to work. Like praise, making choices, feeling sad and angry. What kind of rules can we make revolving around those things?

“Umm...you can pick out my clothes each day and pick out what I eat so I don’t gotta think about it.”

Rick smiled ear to ear, “That’s perfect, darlin’. Exactly the kind of stuff we’re looking for here. That will be rule number three.” He walked over and ran his fingers through Daryl’s hair as if he was petting a dog. “Good boy, Daryl. Way to speak up. I’m so proud of you.”

Daryl wore his crooked smile shyly. Christ, what was it about pleasing this man that made him feel weightless?

“How about, Number four -- Daryl always stays naked in the house so he can remember not to be self-conscious and to trust me?” Rick suggests.

Daryl bit his lip as he thought about it. “Okay.”

Rick wrote it down.

“How about Daryl does all the cooking for Rick,” Daryl said eagerly.

“Do you like cooking, Daryl?” 

Daryl nodded in response. “And also, Daryl does the house cleaning. That way I can sort of put in my share since I ain’t got much money.”

Rick leaned against the counter. “You don’t have to work for me to be with me, Daryl. I asked you to move in with me. I didn’t ask you to contribute anything. How about we split the cooking and the cleaning?”

Daryl took a deep breath and thought for a bit. “But I want to make nice things for you.”

Rick smiled. “You are a nice thing for me. These rules will be fluid and we can make changes as we go. I’d kind of like to spoil you a bit with the cooking. How about you can cook the fish you caught tomorrow, and then I’ll do the cooking for a while after that. You can do the cleaning for now and I’ll do the laundry. And we’ll re-evaluate next month?”

“Okay,” Daryl replied.

“That will be rule number five then - division of labor. I think this is enough rules to get us started,” Rick said, but before he put his pen down he lit up with one other idea. “Rule Number six- Rick gives Daryl his bath every night.”

Daryl blushed and tried not to giggle. “‘fraid I’m gonna miss washin’ somethin?”

Rick smiled and winked. “Gives me a reason to be sure I have a point in every day where I get to put my hands all over you and worship you like you deserve.” He finished writing it down, hung the list up on the fridge, and looked back to Daryl. 

“Time for your bath, sweetheart.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you are all enjoying! I always love to hear feedback and input!
> 
> Also- I'm REALLLY feeling that Daryl and Negan friendship. I'm fantasizing that Judith will tell Daryl about Rick on Sunday's episode and then Negan, Daryl and Judith will go off to find him together! And if AMC DOESN'T do that...I might have to!


	10. Sweet Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to LOTR58 for all the beta work she's been doing even thought she's wicked busy at work!

Daryl knelt in the bathroom as Rick let the heated water fill the tub. He squirted in some bubble bath and Daryl couldn’t help but react. “You kidding me?”

Rick looked over at him as he swirled the water with a hand, testing the heat and stirring up the bubbles. “Bubble baths are relaxing. That’s science,” Rick said with a wink.

“That’s girlie is what it is,” Daryl said, not disrespectfully, but in a playful way.

“Well, since I’m in charge of baths, I guess we’ll be doing this my way. Unless you want to crawl that sexy ass out to the kitchen and check our list of rules and tell me I’m wrong,” he said as he turned off the water.

“You ain’t wrong,” Daryl answered and as Rick reached out a hand, Daryl took it and he was helped to settle steadily into the steaming hot bathwater.

“Too hot?” Rick asked.

“No, I like it,” Daryl responded. “Feels good.”

Rick sat on the edge of the tub and soaped up a wash-cloth, gently pushing Daryl forward so that he would be able to reach his back. He scrubbed from neck to tailbone -- very very slowly.

“Did you have a good day today?” Rick asked.

“Yeah.”

“Tell me your favorite part.”

Daryl started to figure out why Rick wanted this bathtime as a rule. He was going to make it a way to wrap up each day and push for conversation when Daryl was at his most relaxed.

“Liked fishing with ya,” Daryl answered, his eyes lightly closed as he leaned forward.

Rick took one of Daryl’s well-muscled arms and started washing it with the same deliberate movements he’d used on Daryl’s back. “What was your least favorite part?”

“The way my belly felt when I found out how disappointed you were that I didn’t call you.”

“Right,” Rick said as he reached for the other arm. “That was very stressful for you, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

Rick gently nudged Daryl so he’d lean back against the tub and he started using the wash-cloth to clean the man’s broad chest. “Well, remember. You took your punishment like a good boy and you’re forgiven now, right?”

“I know,” Daryl said, eyes now open but relaxed, gaze lingering comfortably on Rick’s.

“What could we have done to make that less traumatic for you?”

Rick abandoned the wash-cloth in the soapy water and rubbed a thumb around one of Daryl’s nipples, gauging his reaction as Daryl took a deep breath and moaned softly at the feel of the attention on such a private part of his body.

“I guess we could have done the punishment right away so I didn’t have to worry about it so long?” Daryl suggested, his voice going up at the end like a question.

Rick cocked his head to the side as he moved his finger to the other nipple. “That’s a great idea, Daryl. We’ll remember to do that next time something like that happens. Good boy.”

Rick reached between Daryl’s legs searching for the wash-cloth, found it, and then gently stroked Daryl’s still hard cock with it, making sure to get the balls and reaching under to gently clean Daryl’s still-healing ass. Daryl moved as Rick nudged him in different directions, finally running the wash-cloth up and down each leg.

“Are you worried about anything right now that we should discuss?” Rick asked softly.

Daryl frowned as he took inventory of his emotions. “I’m a little nervous about doing a good job on the BJ porno.”

“Tilt your head back, darlin’” Rick instructed as he poured a cup of water over the younger man’s hair. Daryl watched him squirt some shampoo into his palm and felt him begin to massage his scalp. It was so relaxing. His eyes drooped shut, his body was warm and content in the hot bathwater, Rick scratching into his scalp with deft, gentle fingers. “Well, we have quite a few days before taping. How about we just focus on getting a lot of practice over the next few days. You can practice on me as much as you need to. And I have a dildo you can play with when I’m working on my music. But what I think might really help, is after your bath, we’ll lie you down on the bed and I’ll suck you off.”

Daryl practically shot up out of the water when he heard that last part. He’d never had a blow job before and couldn’t imagine how exhilarating it would feel to have Rick’s lips on his cock.

“Careful,” Rick said with a chuckle. He put two fingers under Daryl’s chin and instructed him to lean his head back again. He poured several cups of water over Daryl’s hair to get the suds out. “I think it would be helpful for you to figure out what you like, for you to know how it feels, and for you to look down and watch me so you can see what the camera will be looking to capture.”

“I know you’ve been hard since that spanking, sweetheart,” Rick continued as he pulled the plug in the tub. “Just hang on for me for a few more minutes. Stand up. Let’s get you dried off.”

Daryl stood and allowed Rick to pat him dry with the towel, rubbing it over his head to help his hair to dry.

“How did you like your first bath time? Not too painful, was it?”

“I think part of the reason you wanted to do it was to get me relaxed and talking,” Daryl said with a grin.

“Guilty,” Rick admitted with a smile of his own. He patted Daryl’s ass. “Get in my bed, darlin. Let me show you what you’ve been missing.”

**************

Daryl was propped up on half a dozen pillows as he looked up at a freshly showered and naked Rick hovering over him. “You tell me if there’s anything specific you want me to do. You can grip into my hair to guide me if you want. Keep your eyes on me so you can see how good certain movements look. 

Continuing to give advice and instruction, Rick’s pupils blew wide and his voice lowered an octave as he looked down at Daryl.

“‘K,” Daryl barely choked out in response and Rick immediately leaned down and licked a long, firm stripe up Daryl’s hard and straining cock. Daryl’s head flew back and he groaned loud enough for neighbors to hear if Rick’s home really had any. 

“I know it feels good, baby,” Rick said as he looked up from Daryl’s waist. “But I want you to try really hard not to cum so you can see this and feel it all. I promise you’ll get to cum when it’s all over, darlin’, but not til I say so. Can you do that?”

Daryl nodded, not sure if he actually could, but knowing he’d try like hell to make Rick proud.

“Good boy,” Rick whispered before returning his attention to Daryl’s cock. He licked the shaft, swirling his tongue and moaning as he did so. He brushed the tip over his plump lips and Daryl gasped at how fucking sexy it was to see Rick’s eyes on his as he traced his lips, mouth parted, with Daryl’s straining dick. When he finally swallowed it whole, Daryl was sure he was going to lose it and his whimpering and squirming alerted Rick to the situation even before he shouted “Yellow!”

Rick pulled off with a proud smile. “Good boy, Daryl,” he praised. “You knew you were about to cum and that you were told not to, so you asked me to slow down. That’s so perfect. So good. I’m gonna spend a little time away from your cock now to give you a breather. If you think you are losing control again, try thinking about baseball or gutting those fish you caught tonight. Or just use your words again, okay?”

Daryl was gasping for breath and nodded yes, grateful for the break. He tried to inhale and exhale slowly and he watched as Rick moved his attention from his dick to one of his nipples. They were already hard and pebbled, dark and bold against his paie chest. He hadn’t realized how sensitive he was there until Rick had played with them in the tub. He watched as the older man licked at each nipple, then grabbed one between careful teeth and tugged, causing Daryl to groan in pleasure. 

Rick looked up at Daryl with a devious smile. “I thought I sensed some interest in nipple play when you were in your bath.” Then he went back to the nipple and sucked and sucked until Daryl was certain it would be purple, bruised, and sensitive the next day. He thought about foul balls and fish guts because he was almost certain he’d be able to cum just from Rick fondling his nipples.

Finally, after giving each nipple plenty of attention, Rick shimmied back down to focus on Daryl’s dick. “I’m going to let you cum now, sweetheart. Just remember to let me know when you’re gonna go so we can get the cum shot, right?

Daryl nodded and Rick devoured his cock again with complete enthusiasm, cupping the younger man’s balls and deep-throating him like the professional he was. “Gonna cum,” Daryl shouted and Rick pulled off, and jacked his cock two or three times before a huge load of hot, white seed shot out and landed on Daryl splattering him from his belly button all the way up to his chin.

“Oh my God, oh my God,” Daryl murmured over and over again, his eyes still rolled up in his head. He wasn’t sure he’d ever had an orgasm that good. His whole body felt like jelly, relaxed and melting into the bed. Rick sat up beside him, smiling, taking two fingers to collect some of the cum from Daryl’s belly and bringing his fingers to the younger man’s lips. “Open. Help me clean up, sweetheart.” Daryl opened and was fed as much of his own seed as Rick could collect. Then the older man got a rag to clean Daryl off and then used some lotion on both nipples. 

“Those nipples are going to be really sore in the morning, I’m afraid. You’ll feel them brush against your shirt if you go out anywhere. If it bothers you, tell me I’m not allowed to lavish that kind of attention on those beautiful little nubs anymore and I’ll honor that request okay?

“No. I liked that,” Daryl responded immediately. “I like the idea of feeling you like that there all day.”

Rick nodded. “I was hoping that would be your answer.” He turned off the lights and helped Daryl get underneath the warm blankets, pulling him close so the younger man’s head rested on his chest. He pressed a kiss to Daryl’s forehead. “Time for sleep now, okay?”

Daryl nodded. His body was relaxed and pliant and it fit along Rick’s side like it was built to be there. His mind was rested, no swirl of worry or thoughts, just enjoying the sensations against his skin -- the soreness of his nipples, the heat of Rick’s body against his own, the feel of Rick’s soft kisses on his forehead, and the comfort of the other man’s hand rubbing his back as he started to fall asleep. He’d brought his thumb to his lips without thinking and quickly moved his hand back to rest on Rick’s thigh, not wanting to end such a day with Rick finding out that a twenty-year-old still sucked his thumb. 

“Did you want to suck your thumb, baby?” Rick asked, softly as if it wasn’t at all weird or wrong.

“Nah, it’s stupid. Just an old habit, I guess.”

“Hey,” Rick said softly, using fingers to guide Daryl’s chin to make eye contact. 

“Does it make you comfortable? Make you feel relaxed and safe?”

Daryl couldn’t lie to those eyes. “Yes.”

“Then suck your thumb while I rub your back til you fall asleep. Okay? There’s nothing wrong with that.”

Daryl curled back into the crook of Rick’s arm and brought his thumb back up and latched onto it, his eyes immediately closing and a soft sigh falling from his parted lips. 

“Good boy, Daryl. Sweet dreams.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone enjoys TWD on TV tonight since it will be our last for a while :-(


	11. A Sinful Innocence

The next day was a whirlwind. Rick drove Daryl to his old home and helped him pack up some clothes and personal things. Merle, who somehow managed to get out on bail too, watched them, eyes narrowed but not asking too many questions. Daryl was certain he just didn’t want to know. He made Merle promise that he’d show up for his upcoming trial before they left and Merle gave a half-hearted scout’s honor as he scowled suspiciously at Rick.

They had lunch out and then changed Daryl’s address at the Post Office. That night Daryl prepared the fish he had caught and revelled in Rick’s praise as he thoroughly enjoyed the meal. Being naked in the kitchen had felt weird at first, but it was one of the rules and Rick had been sure to fuss with the thermostat until he was certain that the temperature was comfortable for Daryl.

After dinner, Daryl went to his knees and practiced the BJ scene again. He’d picked up a few tricks from watching Rick the night before and was already feeling more confident in his abilities.

At bath time, Rick spent the same amount of time, slowly washing Daryl as he encouraged conversation about how the younger man was feeling.

“Did you have a good day?” Rick asked as he washed Daryl’s back.

“Yes. Think every day with you will be pretty good,” Daryl answered giving Rick that lopsided smile the other man seemed to love so much.

“Anything on your mind today? Any worries? Concerns? Questions?”

Daryl shrugged but he didn’t say no. 

“Look at me, Darlin’” Rick said as he moved to wash over Daryl’s shoulders.

“Tell me what’s on your mind.”

“Just never…like...thought I’d be the weak one in a relationship. Not that I ever thought I’d be in a relationship...but guess I just always thought of myself as manly. So it’s weird sometimes...to let go. I mean, I like it. Love what you give me, Rick. Just getting used to the dynamic, I guess.”

Rick stopped scrubbing at Daryl’s bicep and leaned back to be sure he could respond clearly to the younger man’s concerns.

“Okay, sweetheart. Let’s talk about that. First of all, you ARE manly. I wouldn’t be attracted to you if you weren’t. I love all your rough edges, those broad shoulders, strong chest. You are hot, Daryl. Also, you aren’t weak. A weak person wouldn’t have the strength to accept things about themselves that seem different or hard to understand.”

Rick started to wash Daryl’s face as he continued. “In every relationship, gay, straight and anything in between, there tends to be one of the pair that’s more...alpha. To one degree or another. That’s natural. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Okay?”

Daryl nodded as Rick moved to his chest. “You’re real good at making things make sense.”

Rick smiled. “Thank you sweetheart. You’re real good at communicating your thoughts and emotions.”

Daryl smiled at that. 

***********************

The day before the next shoot Daryl grew nervous. The first shoot he didn’t have much time to think about it. This time he’d been practicing BJ’s at least twice a day for a week and he was so desperate to please Rick he had to worry about failure now.

At breakfast he was unusually quiet, picking at his food.

“You’re not in a good place,” Rick observed after several moments of silence. 

“Huh?”

Rick tapped at his own temple. “Worrying. And you’re not eating your breakfast, you’re just moving things around.”

“Just ain’t hungry, I guess,” Daryl answered, not meeting Rick’s eyes.

“Daryl,” Rick said firmly. “Get on your knees. Right here in front of me, Darlin’.”

Daryl obeyed, keeping his eyes downcast.

“Look at me, sweetheart.”

And Daryl did.

Rick took the piece of toast off Daryl’s plate and broke a piece off, holding it out before Daryl’s parted lips. “Eat.”

And Daryl obeyed.

“I want you to have a good breakfast today,” Rick said as he picked up a piece of Daryl’s untouched bacon and held it to the other man’s lips. “Eat,”

And Daryl obeyed.

“I’m going to guess what I think is wrong and you're going to tell me if I’m right. Sound okay?”

“Okay,” Daryl answered.

Rick fed him another piece of toast. “I’m guessing that you are stressing out, not about the shoot, but about disappointing me at the shoot. Am I right?”

Daryl’s jaw dropped at the accuracy.

“Told you, sweetheart. I read people really well. And the better I get to know you, Darlin? It’s like reading your mind.” Rick picked up a piece of fried egg and held it out, Daryl opening obediently and taking the offered egg like it was communion.

“So we need to figure out how to calm your nerves, don’t we?” 

Daryl felt himself slipping into that peaceful headspace Rick’s calm voice and his gentle attention always put him in. His eyes grew round and focused, his mind blank and opened to receive whatever instruction Rick was willing to give.

“Yes, Alpha,” Daryl answered, barely realizing what he said.

“Alpha,” Rick said with a smile. “I like that. Shows that you accept it and are comfortable with it.” Rick ran his fingers through Daryl’s hair, brushing some of the overgrown bangs out of his eyes. “Good boy, Darlin.”

After another piece of bacon, Rick continued. “First of all, there’s nothing you could do today to disappoint me. I know you’ll be trying your best and I know you do a spectacular job at this particular task.” Rick winked, bringing a small lopsided smile to Daryl’s lips.

“But if something happens today where _you_ feel you’ve done something wrong, we can do what we did last time. Apply punishment so that you can feel forgiven.”

Daryl thought about that as he took another bite of toast from Rick’s hand.

“Okay,” Daryl finally said. “Thank you, Alpha,” he said with a cheeky grin.

“You’re welcome, sweetheart,” Rick responded with a smile as he stood, running his fingers affectionately over Daryl’s scalp as if he were petting a puppy.

“Let’s get dressed. I have a nice outfit picked out for you.”

—————

They made their way to Rick’s car. Being in clothes made Daryl feel more like his old self, which he noticed immediately when a guy on a bicycle stared at them as they stood by the car. 

“‘The fuck are you lookin’ at?” Daryl snapped as he stared the bicyclist down. When he turned back to the car, Rick was stifling a giggle as he held the passenger side door open.

“Well, there ain’t nothin’ to see here,” Daryl bristled. He knew that being with a guy might get stares in Georgia. But he wasn’t gonna let those stares go by without a little venom and spit.

As they drove toward the “studio”, Daryl looked out the window at the gorgeous, cloudless sky. 

“We shoulda taken my bike on a nice day like this,” he said.

Rick looked at him with a laugh. “You nearly gutted a guy for looking at me holding a door open for you. What are you gonna do if you get stared at with me wrapped around you on the back of a bike?

“Nah, we wouldn’t even notice no one lookin’. Too nice riding. Wind in your hair and all that shit. You don’t notice nothin’ like that. It’s almost like...like...y’know,” Daryl said, his voice growing quiet.

“Like what?” Rick asked, as he turned down an alley to get to the place where they filmed. 

“Like how it feels when I’m on my knees for you,” Daryl said shyly. “Y’know, everything just disappears.”

“Sounds nice,” Rick said as he swung into a parking spot. “Maybe I should take you up on that bike ride someday.”

Abe and Dwight were waiting for them in the studio, camped out in the corner near a prop-like bathroom with a shower and sink that seemed to actually function.

“My favorite boys!” Abe said as he stood up to greet them. “Views for our last venture are through the roof. And you should read the comments,” he said as he winked at Daryl.

“Everyone wants to know who the new kid is,” Dwight chimed in. “Apparently you have,” Dwight looked at his phone to get the quote correct, “a sinful innocence.” 

“We got fifty thousand viewers jacking off to that last video,” Abe said, “and they are thirsty for more. Here’s the script. Take a few minutes while we get the lights set. Rick, we’re gonna start with you alone in the shower so you need to drop the duds. Daryl, you’ll be starting out in boxers.” 

“Ain’t wearin’ any,” Daryl admitted.

“No prob,” Dwight said as he dug through a box of clothes, pulling out a pair of blue and white striped boxers and tossing them to Daryl.

Daryl frowned and tossed them back. “I ain’t wearin’ no stranger’s used drawers. That’s disgusting.”

“You’re doing porn, kid. Everything about it is disgusting,” Dwight answered.

Daryl took a step forward as if to grab the boxers back, but instead swung his fist and punched Dwight right in the nose. The other man wobbled a bit then fell back landing on his ass, hands covering a bloody nose.

“Oh for fuck’s sake!” Abe yelled.

Rick put a hand on Daryl’s chest. “Hey. Hey,” he said moving in front of the younger man to maintain eye contact. “I understand why you didn’t like what you heard, but we need to find you other ways to handle that kind of anger, Darlin.”

Daryl was breathing heavy and he felt that heat of anger under his skin. He hated it. He just wanted to be back home on his knees, leaning against Rick as the other man comforted him with calming words and gentle hands.

“Say you’re sorry,” Rick said firmly. 

Daryl looked from Rick to Abe to Dwight, who was now standing up holding a Kleenex to his nose. The bleeding seemed to have slowed. Daryl hadn’t given the punch his all.

Daryl shrugged away from Rick’s touch and kept his eyes on Dwight. “Don’t Like people calling me names and judging me and shit. Ain’t a goddamn kid no more and I ain’t gonna take it.” Daryl growled. He glanced back to Rick then to Dwight again. “But I shouldn’t of punched ya for it so I’m sorry.”

Abe ran a hand over his red mustache. “We don’t insult the talent, Dwight. You should probably apologize, too.”

“I’m sorry,” Dwight said, and it sounded sincere.

“Daryl can wear my boxers,” Rick added. “Problem solved.”

Daryl pouted in the corner reading the script as the others were setting the scene for Rick’s opening shot in the shower. He felt like he had a lump of lead in his stomach. He was agitated that he let his anger get the best of him, disappointed that he let Rick down, worried about whether Rick would still even want to keep seeing someone who was so fucked up in like ten different ways. 

He watched as Rick filmed his section, running soapy hands over his chest and cock as the camera panned over every inch of his soapy, wet body. It was purposely long and drawn out. After he turned off the shower they cut the scene and motioned Daryl over. He quickly changed into Rick’s black boxer briefs as the older man told Abe to back off for a few minutes so they could “get in the zone.”

Rick stood unabashedly naked as he cupped a damp hand to Daryl’s cheek. “We’ll deal with the punishment for that little incident with Dwight later. You’re not to worry about that right now, is that clear?” Rick asked, not unkindly.

“Yeah,” Daryl said with a nod of his head, his eyes on Rick’s feet.

“Look at me, baby,” Rick whispered and Daryl obeyed. “We both know you are really good at this. Pretend we’re alone. Ignore the stupid dialogue. Enjoy what you are doing. You know you love my cock, darlin’. Keep your eyes on mine, remember - lips, tongue, balls. You are going to be perfect.” Rick pulled Daryl close and kissed him on the forehead. He nodded to Abe and as Dwight pulled in the camera, Abe ran through the instructions.

“Okay. Rick opens the shower door with the towel wrapped around his waist. Daryl walks in on him accidently. Rick says he knows Daryl wants to suck him off before Rick leaves for his date. Yadda yadda yadda...cum shot...the end. Got it?”

“Crystal clear,” Rick said with a laugh. 

“You ready kid?” Abe asked.

“Yeah. I got this.”

Dwight pointed out his start point and talked over a few more logistics about the camera and lighting.

“Alright, Action!” Abe yelled.

Daryl walked into the bathroom right as Rick opened the shower door, the towel wrapped loosely around his hips.

“Didn’t realize you hadn’t left for your date with Lori yet,” Daryl said per the script as he turned to pretend to leave.

“Stay,” Rick said in a very demanding, cocky way.

Daryl stopped in his tracks and turned around to meet Rick’s eyes. The older man dropped the towel, stepping outside the shower stall. “Maybe you can help ease some of the tension I have for this date,” he said as his eyes dropped to his own hardening cock.

“Get on your knees and suck me off. You know you want to.”

Daryl sank to his knees, eyes on Rick’s as he tried to relax his mind, fading out Abe, Dwight, the cameras and lights, and just focusing on Rick Grimes and his needy cock. 

Movingly slowly for the camera, Daryl licked a long line up Rick’s dick. Rick was gratuitous with the sounds he was making as Daryl sucked and licked and worshipped his cock. He wished he could keep his eyes on Rick’s, but the older man was making a show for the cameras, dropping his head back and groaning.

Rick’s hand suddenly cupped the back of his head, followed quickly by the other one, and he held Daryl in place as he fucked into him enthusiastically. Daryl gagged just once, but was able to relax his throat and take even more than he ever had back at the house. 

“Fuck, yeah,” Rick growled in a very non-Rick kind of way, reminding Daryl of the nearby cameras.

Then he pulled out and jacked off over Daryl’s face and chest, Daryl closing his eyes per the script, and the shot ended as the cameras faded out on the sight of the neglected bulge in Daryl’s boxers.

“Scene!” Abe yelled. “That’s part two of _Boys with Benefits_

“Really? That’s what we’re calling it?” Rick asked as he knelt down in front of Daryl and started washing off his face.

“Eh. No one cares about the titles. They’ll just see a screenshot of Daryl’s mouth around that big dick of yours and they’ll be subscribing.” Abe said. “Dwight, let’s get started on the edits while these guys get cleaned up. Come on out to the office for checks when you’re ready.” 

They left the room and Rick pulled Daryl to his feet.

“You did a great job on the scene, Darlin. It felt amazing and I could tell you looked fantastic for the camera. 

“Thank you, Alpha,” Daryl said meekly, knowing there was a ‘but’ coming.” He kept his eyes down, feeling like he didn’t deserve the privilege of looking Rick in the eye after his earlier behavior.

Rick finished washing himself off Daryl and the younger man felt an immense disappointment with not being able to hold on to Rick’s scent. 

When Rick finally stepped back, he leaned on the door with his arms crossed.

Rick put a hand on Daryl’s bulge. You need to control your anger, don’t you?” Rick finally said.

Daryl nodded, surprised that Rick wasn’t forcing eye contact. 

“You understand why?”

Daryl shrugged. “Cause it’s bad and I wanna be good.”

Rick finally reached out and nudged Daryl’s chin until their eyes were meeting. “I suppose that’s part of it, Darlin. But the main reason is because I don’t want you to get hurt. What if Dwight had fought back? You could have been seriously injured.”

“Pfft,” Daryl snorted. “I could take him.”

“Not the point,” Rick said with a raised brow.

“I know it was wrong. I know there’ll be a spanking once we get home and I know I deserve it,” Daryl said as he started getting dressed.

“No. No spanking.” Rick said. 

“What!? You ain’t gonna forgive me?? I’m sorry, Rick. I really am, I’ll try harder! I promise!”

Rick put a comforting hand on Daryl’s shoulder. “Don’t fret, Darlin. There will be punishment. Just not a spanking this time. For starters, no relief for that swollen cock straining against my borrowed boxers,” he said with another gentle touch to Daryl’s sensitive cock

Daryl watched Rick as he headed for the office and he fell into place obediently behind him.

After Rick confirmed that both their checks were right, they headed out to the car and even though Daryl had misbehaved, Rick still held the car door open for him.

Rick started driving in the opposite direction of home and Daryl finally asked. “Where we goin’?”

“First the bank to open you a savings account. Then to pick up some supplies to help us deal with your little anger situation.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is anyone even still reading this? I'm regretting my decision to post this fic under this TWDObsessive pseud instead of my super-smutty alter-ego DarklyDreamingDixon. I feel like it would have fit better there. But alas, what's done is done. I'm looking forward to finishing this one off and working on something more serious.
> 
> Hope those of you still following along here are enjoying! Only a handful more chapters to go!


	12. Caged

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hear you all want smut. So here you go!

Daryl sat in the car biting a thumbnail as Rick walked into a local sex shop that Daryl never knew existed. He was kind of glad the older man instructed him to wait because he was certain walking through the store would have him blushing beet red and tenting his pants all at the same time.

He wondered what Rick could be purchasing for his punishment. Whip? Paddle? Handcuffs? He knew he deserved it. Rick had arranged for him to get a bigger paycheck, made sure he was fully prepared for the scene, took him in, took care of his every need. And how did Daryl repay that? He punches out one of the men responsible for Rick’s livelihood. Whatever the punishment was, it would be a relief. The orgasm denial stung and he was still incredibly turned on and unsated, but he needed to earn forgiveness more than he needed the release. 

Finally, Rick walked out of the store with a small bag, placed it in the back seat, and climbed in, turning to Daryl. 

“I thought about asking if you wanted to do lunch first, but I’m guessing you are in desperate need of me finishing your punishment. Am I right?”

“Yes,” Daryl answered without hesitation.

“Your wish is my command, Sweetheart,” Rick said as he pulled out of the parking lot and steered them towards home.

**************************************  
“I don’t understand how shaving my dick is punishment,” Daryl sassed.

“I wouldn’t catch an attitude when I have a razor to your dangly bits,” Rick answered with a grin and a wink. “I’ll explain in a minute. Just lie there and let me take care of this. Today is not a good day for back talk after what you’ve done, now is it?”

Daryl’s eyes went from Rick’s back down to his mostly shaved cock and balls. “No, Alpha,” he answered obediently. “I’m sorry.”

“You’ll be forgiven shortly, Darlin.”

After a few more minutes, Rick seemed pleased with his work and guided Daryl to a nice hot bath. He washed the younger man, as always, gently and affectionately, but they didn’t speak. Daryl didn’t think he deserved the privilege of conversation. Especially after being smart-assed about being shaved. Everything he’d done the past week and a half to show Rick how good he was was falling apart by the minute. The anticipation of what was to come unnerved him. His stomach continued to ache and he was desperate to receive the punishment he so rightly deserved.

After the younger man was dried, Rick led him to the sofa and had him sit down while he, himself, took a seat on the coffee table facing him, the bag from the sex store in his hand. 

“Now let’s talk punishment. A on-time spanking isn’t going to fix a lifetime of anger and sadness. We need something a little more substantial. This isn’t just a punishment, it’s a gift. It will help you to relax, help keep you focused.” He pulled out a box and handed it to Daryl who turned it over in his hands until he figured out what it was. A cock cage.

Daryl glanced up. “How’s it work?” he asked, almost uncomfortable that Rick had seated him on the couch instead of ordering him to his knees where he belonged.

“We’ll lock your cock up. Just a week at first and then we’ll discuss how it went. By doing so, you’ll be more focused on your arousal and your body, less concerned about things that don’t matter. The things that used to make you react with thoughtless anger won’t even have room in your head.”

“What’s it gonna feel like?”

“Well, from what I’ve read, it will feel a bit heavy on your dick so your thoughts will be on it fairly persistently. Without access to your dick, the other parts of your body will start tingling with arousal. You’ll feel a need to have your ass filled, to have your nipples played with. It will keep you from being able to get fully hard, but we would be trying to milk you throughout the week so the ache in your balls isn’t too bad. Tell me how you feel about this,” Rick said. 

“Will it make me good again?”

“You never stopped being good, sweetheart. It was just a little hiccup today, right? You don’t want to be a bad boy. I know that.”

Just thinking about giving up his cock to Rick’s control made him ridiculously hard. Daryl slid off the couch and got to his knees, bowing down until his forehead touched Rick’s feet, a sign of submission and agreement. Rick ran fingers through his lover’s hair. “Good boy. I see I’m going to have to let you cum before we lock you up.” 

Daryl kissed Rick’s bare foot. “Please, Alpha.”

Rick stretched out his leg. “You can hump my leg until you cum. We’re going to focus a lot this week on teaching you your place. Helping you submit to me so that I can take care of you, keep you safe, make you feel good.”

Daryl molded himself against Rick’s leg and slowly started to rut against him, the friction on his cock threatening a quick orgasm. He kept his eyes on Rick’s because he knew his Alpha would want that. 

“Good boy, darlin’,” Rick said as he cupped a hand to Daryl’s cheek while the younger man groaned in pleasure.

In no time at all, Daryl cried out from a powerful orgasm, his forehead resting on Rick’s knee as he tried to catch his breath. 

“Clean me up, darlin,” Rick said. And Daryl obeyed, licking the cum off Rick’s leg, slowly, eyes still on Rick’s, making a show of it to please his Alpha.

Afterwards, Rick cleaned off Daryl’s cock with a cold rag and opened the box, carefully reading the instructions before clicking on the device. It barely looked like he had a dick at all once it was on, the bars of the cage tight against his cock - suffocating it. 

“Tell me how it feels,” Rick said.

“Deserved,” Daryl answered. “But I don’t think it’s enough to make me feel immediately forgiven for today, Alpha. Please spank me for being bad so I know you forgive me.”

“Is that what you need, sweetheart?” Rick asked as he played a bit with Daryl’s newly locked cock.

“Yes.”

Rick patted his lap and Daryl climbed up and got into place. The device did indeed feel heavy as it hung between his legs, tugging a bit on his dick. Rick ran a gentle hand over Daryl’s ass for several minutes and without warning the first smack came. Daryl counted them as his body tensed at each harsh sting. They came faster than last time, harder. He lost count after fifteen, but it wasn’t long after that that Rick stopped. He rubbed a hand over Daryl’s reddened ass.

“You’re forgiven, Daryl. All is forgiven. Okay?”

“Yes, Alpha. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, sweetheart,” He got to his feet and fetched a bottle of water from the fridge, handing it to Daryl and waiting until the younger man drained it. “Now, let’s go out and have a nice dinner together to celebrate another successful shoot.”

Daryl looked down at his new constraints. 

“Your pants will hide it. No one will know but you and me,” Rick said to calm his young lover’s nerves.

“I trust you, Master,” Daryl said and the room went whisper-quiet.

“Master now, darlin’?”

“I d-d-don’t know where that came from,” Daryl said, almost as surprised to hear it as Rick was. 

“Is that how you see me?” Rick asked as Daryl followed him to the closet to be dressed.

“I see you lots of ways,” Daryl answered.

Rick smiled. “I like that answer.” And Daryl beamed with pride.

They arrived at a small out-of-the-way night club downtown where the Maitre D’ seemed to know Rick rather well.

“Do you bring all your lovers here?” Daryl asked, trying not to sound jealous.

“No. I come myself quite often to hear the music. The band plays a mellow kind of hypnotic music. I hope you’ll like it.”

They were seated in a room with about a dozen tables, a long bar in the back, a stage, and a small circle in the middle that was clearly designated as the dance area.

The ride in the car had Daryl’s new cock cage vibrating against him and his mind was filled with desire and need, so much so that he didn’t see the disparaging looks from an old couple that was leaving. He kept his eyes on Rick. On his ass. On the slight bulge at the front of his pants. On his eyes and the soft curls that Daryl loved to sift fingers through as the older man slept. Wearing the cage was something Rick wanted of him and he was doing it to obey his Alpha, his Master. And it made him feel like a good boy. A good boy who wanted to be very, very bad. He had visions of dropping to the floor right there in the restaurant and begging Rick to fuck him, fill his needy hole that was now so startlingly empty. The urge to fuck back into something was all-consuming. 

“Rick!” a voice shouted across the room just as he was starting to pull out Daryl’s chair.

“Glenn! Maggie! Tara!” Rick said, giving all three a hug then standing back so they could all get a look at Daryl, as if Rick couldn’t be prouder to show him off.

“My boyfriend, Daryl,” Rick said by way introduction. Daryl responded with a shy smile and the shaking of hands. 

“These guys are the band playing tonight,” Rick explained as he pushed Daryl’s chair in. 

“Your man here is amazing,” Tara said to Daryl. “All our best originals are because of him.”

Rick rolled his eyes. “Well, are you gonna just loiter here or are you gonna go up and play them?” Rick asked, a friendly hand patting Glenn on the back. 

“Enjoy the show,” Maggie said, then looked back over her shoulder to Daryl. “You should get that new man of yours out on the dance floor.”

“How do you know them?” Daryl asked after they walked away. “High School. That’s where I met Shane, too.”

“I didn’t really make any friends in high school,” Daryl admitted. 

“I can’t believe you didn’t have girls crawling all over you,” Rick answered as he looked him up and down. “You’re gorgeous.”

“I’m a Dixon. That’s all I was back then. Bad reputation. Always moody. No one wanted to fuck with me and that’s the way I wanted it.”

“To be alone?”

“Yeah,” Daryl answered, but he was barely able to remember those feelings of moodiness. “I mean, I don’t want to be alone now. I want to be...yours.”

The band started. They were haunting and sultry and Daryl felt his tingly body wanting to move to it. In fact it was hard to hold back. After Rick ordered for them both, he leaned over the table and whispered discreetly, “Tell me how your body feels.”

“Tingly,” Daryl answered. “Empty.”

“Yeah?”

“And desperate.”

“Desperate for what?” Rick grinned, clearly already having an idea of exactly what he was desperate for.

“For whatever you’ll give me, Alpha,” Daryl said, knowing full well the endearment would turn Rick on. “Hey, what did they mean about their originals being because of you?”

“I’ve written a few of their songs,” Rick answered like it was no big deal.

“What? That’s amazing!” 

Rick shrugged. “Told you I was really into music.”

“I just thought you meant listening to it, You haven’t touched your piano since I moved in.”

“That’s your fault, gorgeous. You’ve been a terrible distraction,” Rick answered with a wink.

“Will you play me a song later tonight?”

“If you’re a good boy,” Rick promised.

After they ate, they ordered another drink so they could stay longer and enjoy the music.

Glenn grabbed the microphone and started singing a song that drew several couples to the dance floor.

“Dance with me,” Daryl said. “Please. Need to feel your body against mine, Alpha.”

Rick stood and took Daryl’s hand and led him out to the dance floor in the darkened room, lights strobing and the other couples dancing seductively. 

Rick stood behind Daryl and swayed his hips in sync with the younger man, ensuring he could feel the outline of Rick’s hard cock against his ass. They moved slow and deliberate, keeping the rhythm in their hips and then Rick turned Daryl toward him and rocked him slowly to the beat.

The band played yet another of Rick’s songs and both men stayed on the floor, bodies writhing like the ebb and flow of waves, hands roaming, lips ghosting kisses over necks and earlobes. It was mesmerizing music and Daryl was thoroughly caught in Rick’s spell. He was in absolute peace. He could breathe and he could _feel_.

Halfway through the song Rick leaned against Daryl’s ear and whispered. “Come home with me, I need to take you.”

Daryl immediately fell into line, holding Rick’s hand as he was led out of the restaurant and into the parking garage. 

“That sweet body of yours has me ready to explode, Daryl. I don’t know if I can wait to get home. I want to fill you so fucking bad and I know how bad you need it too, baby.”

Daryl whimpered at the tease of his words, then banged his fist against the stop button in the garage elevator. He pulled off his shirt, dropped his pants, and looked Rick in the eyes. “Fuck me, Alpha. I beg you.”

Daryl used his strong arms to lift himself up using the rail that ran along the walls of the elevator and he wrapped his legs around Rick, both of them looking at Daryl’s desperate dick straining against the new cock cage.

“You’re not lubed or prepped,” Rick said breathless.

Daryl sucked on two of his own fingers and reached down to breach his own opening as Rick kept him balanced between his hips and the rail. Rick’s pupils had dilated so much that the blue was invisible. Finally, he started pressing his cock against Daryl’s entrance and, despite lacking proper lube, he slid in like it was his to own.

“Oh fuck, Rick” Daryl cried once the older man was fully seated inside him. “You feel so good inside me. I want to cum so bad.”

Rick started pumping in and out. “You’ll be out in a week like I promised, baby, but I’ll show you how I can make you feel good without that pesky cock,” Rick answered and they both devolved into groans and grunts and cries until Rick was pulsing his seed into Daryl’s desperate body.

“Need more,” Daryl whimpered as Rick slowly lowered him to the floor. 

“Get dressed, Darlin’.” Rick said as he gently tugged at Daryl’s caged dick. “I need to get you home and take proper care of you.”

The drive home was full of heaving breaths and roaming hands and excessive speed.

As soon as they burst into their now-shared home, Rick ordered Daryl naked, and on all fours on the master bed. Rick was behind him quickly with a bottle of lube. “I’m gonna show you how you can get some amazing relief without your cock.” He stuck in two overly lubed fingers and started rubbing inside Daryl’s sensitive ass. He knew he’d found the spot he was after when Daryl cried out and jumped forward in surprise. 

“The prostate,” Rick smiled. 

Daryl couldn’t be sure how long he was on that bed, Rick’s skilled fingers massaging against his prostate, his body writhing from the amazing sensations, like bolts of lighting scattering across a stormy sky. Time disintegrated into a vague fog and Daryl had no idea how much of it had passed as he moaned and whined and panted. Suddenly he was on his back, Rick still plunging fingers into his ass, his free hand sliding up his side until his thumb hit one of Daryl’s dark nipples, still swollen and purple from all the attention they’d gotten the other day. 

The feeling of pleasure pulsing through him from his prostate tied to the gentle tugging on his nipple and it was as if his entire body was wired like a time bomb. His cock swelled and pressed against the bars of his cage and the stutter of almost-orgasms exploded into a release that was sheer pleasure, cum dribbling out of his trapped cock. It was different from a normal orgasm, it was more...full body and foggy mind. He felt his muscles all relax while at the same time, still being horny. Rick was above him, wiping a cool cloth over the cage and his sticky thighs, whispering praises and affection and Daryl tried to focus on the words that he loved to hear, but his body and mind were exhausted and with the gentle tone of Rick’s voice, he fell asleep quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love you all so much. Thanks to everyone who left encouraging comments last chapter. Sometimes it's easy to forget that people are actually reading and with such limited social interactions these days I'd gotten a little despondent. You guys completely re-inspired me and reminded me why I love to write so much -- because I love giving stories to others who will enjoy them and I love seeing others get joy out of what I've made. 
> 
> I'd been stuck on chapter 15 for months and after all your wonderful comments I finally got the jolt I needed and this story is now completed. I'll try to post a little quicker now. I'm already excited to start tackling something new. Thank you all again. I really needed those messages.
> 
> Side Note: So the song that I imagine playing during this chapter is Way Down We Go by Kaleo. I heard it and could totally imagine Rick and Daryl writhing to it on the dance floor.


	13. Missed Being Dirty

Daryl woke to the scent of bacon and the sound of it sizzling from the kitchen. He sat up, rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and looked down at his caged member. He dreamt all night about sex and his cock was straining against the bars. He tugged at it and pouted. He would definitely be thinking twice now before he started swinging fists. He needed Rick more than he needed the bacon, so he trudged out to the kitchen, hair sticking out in all directions as he still dug at the sleep in his eyes. He’d grown so used to being bare in front of Rick that he didn’t even feel awkward about it anymore. He liked having his body available for Rick at all times.

“Good morning, beautiful,” Rick said as the younger man entered the room. “Got your favorite - bacon! How’d you sleep?”

Daryl walked into Rick’s arms and rested his head on his lover’s shoulder. “I’m horny,” he pouted.

Rick chuckled as he rubbed circles on Daryl’s back. “Food first, then I’ll ravage your body,” he said with a wink.

Daryl sank to his knees by the older man’s chair and waited to be fed. The bacon was delicious. Salty and crispy and Rick held his fingers so that Daryl could lick and suck at them after every bite. 

“You forgot to play me a song last night, Alpha,” Daryl said once the memory came back to him.

“You fell asleep on me, Darlin.”

Daryl snorted and accepted another bite of bacon. “You wrecked me. This cage is gonna be the death of me.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of that ass of yours in a few minutes,” Rick said as he stood and cleaned off the kitchen table.

“I’d like a song first if it’s okay,” Daryl said. 

“Really? I don’t have any songs that are as good as getting relief from a cock cage.”

“I want to watch you sing to me, Alpha,” Daryl said flirtatiously. He’d grown to be so comfortable around Rick in such a short period of time. Who would have thought someone as cynical, untrusting, and pessimistic as Daryl would be able to open up and give himself over to someone so quickly? There was just something about Rick. Everything about the man fascinated him. Daryl wanted to know everything. 

After Rick washed his hands, he pulled Daryl up from the floor and kissed him long and slow, a hand resting on the curve of his ass while the other cupped the back of his head. “I don’t remember what I did before I had you,” Rick whispered.

“You are really good at combining pervert and gentleman,” Daryl snorted as he tugged Rick towards the piano. “Play,” Daryl commanded as he sat on the floor.

“Demanding little shit,” Rick murmured with a grin. “You’re lucky you’re so damn cute.”

Rick sat down on the piano bench and after turning to the keys, he thought for a moment, deciding what to play. He finally reached out and placed his long fingers on the keys. He played a slow, mesmerizing melody. It was haunting and inviting and after a moment he started to sing softly and quietly. 

Daryl was in awe as Rick wove his words into a lulling melody. His voice had a perfect imperfection to it, raw and real but at the same time soft and intimate. The song spoke of love, of give and take, of reason, and his fingers danced on the keys like a seasoned ballerina. 

“That was unbelievable,” Daryl gasped after Rick’s fingers stilled on the keys and the last strains of music faded out. “I can’t believe you can do that!”

Rick laughed from his spot on the piano bench. “Thanks. I don’t usually sing in front of people so consider yourself lucky.”

“Why not? You should be up on that stage, not Glenn.”

Rick laughed again as he stood. “Totally not interested. I just like making the words and the melodies.” He reached a hand down and pulled Daryl to his feet. “I’m in the mood for ice cream. You in the mood for ice cream?”

It was a rhetorical question. Daryl was always in the mood for ice cream and he knew they had the better half of a gallon of Mint Chocolate Chip still in the freezer. “Can you fuck me after?”

“It’s a date,” Rick laughed. 

“You know what?” Daryl asked after Rick had fed him a spoonful of ice cream. “I wish I could have something like that.”

“Something like what?”

“Well, I mean...we both been making some money with this porn thing. But you got your music, too. You get to make a little extra doing something you really love.”

Rick cocked his head and licked at the ice cream on his spoon. “Tell me what you really love, Darlin’.”

“I miss being dirty,” Daryl started, then shot a glance at Rick, “Not like that, perve. I mean, I miss working with my hands, working on bikes and motors. Putting things together, making them work. Only reason I can’t find a damn job is cause a Merle worked at every damn garage in the tri-state area and left a bad name for Dixon’s at every last one.” Daryl glanced up at Rick through his bangs. “He called the other day by the way. Got his sentencing. Six years.”

“Oh baby,” Rick exclaimed, dropping the carton and pulling Daryl into a hug. “I’m so sorry. Did you want to go visit?”

“Nah. He ain’t going anywhere. I’ll see him sometime, but not right now.”

“You know, you can try to apply for a job at a garage if you want. I want you to be happy. I’ll miss you like hell if you are gone every day, but I don’t want to suffocate you.”

Daryl shrugged and bit at his lip. “Probably wouldn’t anyone hire me anyways.”

“I’m going to keep my eyes open for you. I can’t believe Merle’s been everywhere,” Rick said as he held Daryl’s hand and played with his fingers. “In the meantime,” Rick said and he pulled Daryl to the couch. He spread his legs when he sat so that Daryl could be seated against him, his bare back against Rick’s strong chest.

Daryl leaned his head back onto Rick’s shoulder as the other man ran his hands over his body, roaming over taut muscle, tweaking at pert nipples and cupping at his caged cock.

“Feel good?”

“You always feel good,” Daryl said as he melted like putty into Rick’s warm embrace. After spending untold minutes of having his nipples plucked and pinched and tugged and caressed, Rick moved his hands up and down Daryl’s stomach, then sliding his hands down Daryl’s inner thighs. 

“More,” Daryl groaned as he reflexively parted his legs in invitation. His eyes were closed and he was drifting in an unexplainable fog of sensation. He was startled when Rick pressed two fingers to his lips, encouraging Daryl to open his mouth and suck them wet. Just the thought of having Rick back inside him and stroking his prostate made his whole body quiver with excitement. He sucked obediently at his Alpha’s fingers and tried to force his relaxed eyelids open to watch the man’s hand slide down his body and reach under the cock cage. The stretch of Rick’s fingers was welcoming. It was needed like a flower needs the sun, like a drought needs the rain. 

His body was balanced on the cusp of an explosive orgasm that he knew wouldn’t fully develop due to his constraints, but he could writhe against the closeness of it and feel like he was in heaven. It happened again like the other night where an explosion developed, not as strong as a normal orgasm but much longer. It was dizzying and Daryl could hear himself whimpering at the joy of it. He felt the warmth of his seed as it drizzled out of his cage. And in the end he was overcome with an overwhelming peace, content to lie there with Rick for hours.

He felt the older man press kisses to his forehead. “You’re beautiful when you orgasm.”

Daryl snorted a laugh. 

“You are.”

Daryl turned around and captured Rick’s lips in a thank-you kiss, biting and tugging at the lower one before pulling away. He slid down to his knees and worked Rick’s pants open, wasting no time in pulling them off his ass and down to his legs, revealing his already hard and leaking member. 

It still amazed him how much pleasure he got from giving pleasure to his Alpha. As he licked a slow stripe up the underside of Rick’s cock he kept his eyes glued seductively to the other man’s. He made a show of his work. Tongue, lips, fingers, his eyes open, studying Rick’s preferences as he always did. When he eventually earned Rick’s hand cupped against the back of his head, he moaned and rubbed his head into Rick’s palm like a greedy cat. It only took a few more minutes before Rick cried out in orgasm, Daryl drinking him down like his seed was a well-earned reward and already eager for another round.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song I envision Rick singing here is _I Found_ by Amber Run.


	14. Cop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There might actually be some plot in this here chapter!

A few days after Daryl’s cage came off, they got a call from Abe about another shoot. Daryl’s payday was now up to two grand and although he welcomed the easy paycheck, he still missed working on cars and earning his money from good old honest hard work. There was a level of work involved in the porn movies. He had to pay attention and be aware and focus. But in all reality, it was just being intimate with Rick, and that always brought nothing but pleasure. He missed getting dirt on his hands, missed the grime under his nails and the way his muscles felt after a hard day’s work. He missed the feeling of accomplishment he felt when he figured out what was wrong with a bike or a car and was able to fix it himself. 

He’d applied for several mechanic’s positions over the course of the week, but it was clear when Daryl handed them the applications that they recognized his last name. Two asked if he was related to Merle, which was bad enough, and one older man asked if he was Will’s son. As bad of a reputation as Merle had, Daryl’s father’s reputation was that much worse, so he held out no actual hope for any of those jobs and sat on the couch circling ads in the newspaper and making a plan to go out the next day and try again.

Rick had made it clear that Daryl didn’t _have_ to get a job, but he could tell how important it was to the younger man. Rick was rooting for him now and Daryl hated the thought of letting him down.

After circling yet another ad, Daryl’s heart leapt at the sound of the front door opening. He hated when Rick had to leave and he was left alone in the house. It didn’t happen often, but he’d recently finished work on two new songs and had gone out to watch Glenn’s band rehearse the new material so he could provide feedback. Daryl could have joined him, but he didn’t want to be a distraction.

“Hey Darlin,” Rick said as he leaned down to give his lover a kiss. “I’ve got some news.”

“Yeah?” Daryl asked as he folded up the paper and sank to his knees on the floor where he was most comfortable. “What is it?”

“Well,” Rick said as he leaned against the piano. “After the rehearsal, I grabbed lunch with Shane and we got to talking and there might be an opportunity with the Police Department to work in the garage. Maintain the vehicles, make repairs. Shane’s pretty sure he can at least get you in for an interview.” Rick was all smiles, but Daryl’s face fell into a near pout.

“Rick, the hole-in-the-wall garage down on South Street wouldn’t hire a Dixon, you think the _cops_ are gonna want to?”

Rick sat down on the couch and put a hand on Daryl’s mop of hair. “They know the Dixon history. And the Dixon history is about Merle and Will. They know that you were never any trouble and Shane can back that up. They tend to put a lot of confidence in a recommendation from an officer. It’s worth a shot, right sweetheart?”

“Well, I ain’t gonna get my hopes up,” Daryl said cautiously.

Rick sat on the arm of the couch and lifted Daryl’s chin up with his fingers. “I love you. And I know you. And I know you can do anything you put your mind to. You know that, right?”

Daryl smiled at his lover and leaned into him, eager to feel the heat of the other man’s body against his own. “I’m not a great interview,” he said as his teeth worried at his bottom lip.

“All you have to do is be yourself. And be confident. I know you don’t have a lot of self-confidence, but you _know_ how to work on cars. That’s what they want. A mechanic. They don’t care who your brother was or who your daddy was. They just want a car that won’t run to start running again. Can you do that?”

“I can make anything run,” Daryl said in a rare display of confidence. 

“That’s right, you can, baby,” Rick answered. And as happened most afternoons, a gentle kiss turned into a passionate one, which turned into hands roaming and bodies touching and gasping breaths and touching heaven. 

*****************************  
Daryl sat in the interrogation room where the head of H.R. left him. He destroyed his thumbnail as he sat waiting nervously for the head mechanic to come up for the actual interview. His stomach turned when he heard the door click open but, it wasn’t who he was expecting. It was Shane Walsh.

“Hey, Daryl. Just wanted to pop in to say hi.”

Daryl couldn’t help but feel nervous around the officer. Usually, whenever they met, someone ended up in jail. 

“You nervous?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Daryl admitted. 

“Don’t worry. Dale’s a great guy. Easy to talk to and he won’t ask any trick questions,” Shane said with a wink. “He just needs to know that you know your way around a vehicle.”

“I do,” Daryl answered. 

Shane nodded and relaxed a bit as he leaned against the door frame. “You and Rick. Things seem to be going really well between the two of you.”

Daryl smiled at the mention of his lover’s name. “Yeah. He’s the best thing ever happened to me.”

Shane nodded with a smile. “And you might be the best thing that ever happened to him.”

“Pfft,” Daryl laughed, covering his surprise at the unexpected compliment. “Rick could do a damn lot better than the likes of me. Somehow I just got lucky…”

Before he could finish, an older man arrived at the door with a giant smile. He looked so damn happy it almost made Daryl’s nerves disappear. 

“Dale,” Shane said in greeting. “I should leave you to your interview. Daryl here’s a good man. He’s Rick Grimes’ boyfriend.”

“Ohh! Is he?” Dale asked as he reached past Shane to shake Daryl’s hand. “How is Rick doing these days?”

“He’s good. Great. He’s amazing,” Daryl answered, tripping over his own words. He hadn’t expected the guy to know Rick. He wondered how they’d met. He certainly didn’t meet this guy in high school. He was clearly too old to be in the same year.

“I’ll leave you guys to it then,” Shane said and he gave Daryl a final wink before he left the room.

Dale took a seat and flipped through Daryl’s application. “You nervous?” he asked.

“No.”

“You lyin?” Dale asked with a smile.

“Yes,” Daryl answered with an exhale and a laugh. “Ain’t great at interviews, man. But I know my way around a car. Bike. Truck. Anything that runs. Anything that don’t run and needs to. I can fix anything.”

Dale nodded as he looked over Daryl’s resume. “Can I count on you to be here on time each day?”

“Absolutely, sir.”

“I’m gonna need you not to call me sir. Makes me feel old, Daryl.” 

Daryl liked the guy. He seemed genuine and unpretentious. He was straightforward and didn’t seem to make quick judgements. 

“Dale, I need this job. I’m good with my hands and I’m dedicated and determined. And I ain’t had a lot of chances in life, but when I get a chance, I put my all into it. I know there ain’t nothing just given. Has to be earned and I promise I’ll earn my place here.”

Dale leaned back in his chair with that near-constant smile of his. “I like you, Daryl.”

“Thank you, si….Dale.”

“You don’t have much of a work history, but I like your spunk and I trust you. I’m going to give you a shot. Can you start on Monday?”

Daryl sat up straight in his chair. “Hell yeah...I mean. Yes. Yes.”

As Dale stood, Daryl reached out his hand again for another shake. “Thank you for taking a chance on me. I swear, I’ll prove that I’m worth it.”

“I have no doubt you will, son. I’ll see you here on Monday. 8:00 sharp.”

As much as Daryl wanted to rush right home and tell Rick the good news, he remembered to show his appreciation and he stopped back at Shane’s desk to thank him for his recommendation. 

“I knew you’d get it, kid,” Shane said with a clap to Daryl’s back. “You’re with Rick now. Time to let all the ghosts from your past go. This is your life now and I always knew you’d make it out of your old man’s house and show that you’re better than any other Dixon.”

“Thanks, Shane. Really.”

Another man sat down at a desk nearby and Shane reached over and poked at his shoulder. “Hey Morgan. This here’s the new mechanic. He’s with Rick Grimes.”

At the mention of the name, Morgan stopped mid-sip of coffee and looked up. “You dating Rick Grimes?” he asked as he stood. 

“Yes, sir.”

The man’s eyes seemed...haunted. Like there was nostalgia floating in them. “How is Rick doing?” he asked in the way you would ask how a cancer patient was doing.

The tone of it confused Daryl. He was frankly surprised that so many people seemed to know his lover. Shane was his best friend, yes. But did he visit the man that often at work that so many people came to care for him so much?

“He’s doing great. He writes music, you know. Just sold a few more songs.”

Morgan smiled at that. “So glad to hear it. Rick’s...he’s a real good guy. You take care of him.” he said as he raised his cup of coffee in a mock toast. 

_Take care of him? Daryl thought. He takes care of me._

**********************************  
A week later Daryl overheard another conversation, Dale and Morgan speaking in whispers in the cafeteria and not noticing Daryl slip in and head towards the coffee pot.

_”Yeah, it’s been a long time,” Dale said as Morgan dropped some coins into the soda machine._

_“I’m almost surprised he was okay with Daryl working here. Just figured it would be too many memories for him,” Morgan added._

_“Well, Shane’s his best friend, so he’s always been sort attached to the department in that way.”_

Daryl was able to fill his mug and slip out before the men noticed his presence. It seemed, now more than ever, that Rick had worked at the department. Was he a cop? Had he been injured on the job? There was a story there and Daryl hated not knowing about it. And he hated that Rick hadn’t mentioned it.

Now that Daryl was working on vehicles all day, his nightly baths were more rigorous as Rick scrubbed off oil and grease and dirt.

“How does oil get in your belly button? Don’t you wear a shirt at work?” Rick teased. “Or are you taking this ‘wear no clothes’ thing further than I thought?” 

Daryl looked down at his belly. “Dirt ain’t predictable, man. I don’t know what to tell ya.”

Rick splashed water at Daryl in response. “How was your day, sweetheart? You get that vehicle from the high-speed chase fixed up?”

“Almost. Shane really took some liberties just to go after a purse snatcher.”

“He likes to get his man,” Rick said with a laugh as he scrubbed between Daryl’s toes.

“He does like to win. Must be a cop thing, huh?” Daryl asked in a vague attempt at getting Rick to confess something.

Rick shrugged and grabbed for the shampoo.

“Lot of folks know you at the station,” Daryl said finally. “Morgan and Dale. They’re all wishing you well.”

Rick nodded. “Yeah. They’re good guys,” he answered, then sat back and put the shampoo on the ledge of the tub. “You have something on your mind.”

Daryl shrugged. “Just thought...wondered, I guess...if you were a cop why you never mentioned it.”

“I wasn’t ever a cop,” Rick answered solemnly as he picked up the shampoo and resumed his work.

Daryl furrowed his brow in confusion. If he wasn’t a cop...was he a criminal?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone is still enjoying as we get closer to the end of the ride! Four more chapters!


	15. Bound

“Saturday morning?” Rick asked Abe who was on speaker-phone while Daryl was cooking spaghetti and meatballs on the stove.

“Yup. 10 a.m. This one is gonna be balls to the wall.”

Rick and Daryl shared an eye roll. 

“I’m sure the writing will be spectacular,” Rick said, sarcasm oozing from his voice. 

“It’s a new angle and I think the viewers are going to eat it up. Negan has a hard stop at noon so I need you guys to be on time and ready to go.”

Daryl looked over his shoulder, stopping with a wooden spoon of sauce at his lips. “Who’s Negan?” he asked.

“What do you mean, Negan?” Rick added.

“Well, this one will start out with you two going at it hard and then Negan will walk in. He plays Rick’s boyfriend who catches him cheating and then makes him watch while he fucks Daryl mercilessly.”

“Oh,” Rick said. “Umm...okay.” 

Daryl still held the spoon forgotten in mid-air. He had never had sex with anyone other than Rick. And they were together. How did this work? Should he tell Rick he wasn’t comfortable with the scene? Or should he just look at it like a job. A payday?

“Alright boys. I gotta go. Remember, don’t be late.” Abraham hung up before either of them could get in another word.

“Well, that’s going to be a different kind of shoot,” Rick said, looking at Daryl. “You going to be okay with that?”

Daryl finally put the spoon back in the pot without tasting it. “I mean...it’s a paycheck, right? I...you’ll be there and it’s just a job and I’ll just, you know. Do it.” The simple fact of the matter was that Daryl had grown up poor and there was just no way he could turn down the money. He’d been working at the garage for a few weeks now, but despite getting that paycheck, he just couldn’t see both of them passing up on two big paydays that would only take two hours of their lives to earn. He didn’t know how much money Rick made from his music. He only sold them to his friends so Daryl was sure he didn’t charge much. What if he counted on these shoots to pay the bills? Daryl couldn’t deny him the job.

Rick nodded. “Okay.”

**************************************

A few days before the shoot, Abe emailed the script and Daryl sat at Rick’s feet as they both read their copies.

**Title: Caught Cheating  
Scene opens with Rick fucking Daryl on the bed. Daryl has hands tied to the headboard.**

**Rick: You belong to me, don’t you?**

**Daryl: God, yes.**

**Rick (grins): I like the way you call me God.**

**Daryl: Whimpers**

**Rick: You’d do anything I told you, wouldn’t you?**

**Daryl: Yes.**

**Rick: Come for me. (tugs at Daryl’s hair. Daryl arches off the bed. Shot of Daryl coming, then Rick pulling out and his seed drizzling down Daryl’s ass)**

**Rick: (swiping up some of Daryl’s come and feeding it to him) I might have to just keep you here like this for a while longer. (motions to the ropes binding his wrists to the bed.)**

**(Sound of Front Door)**

**Negan: Rick!? Where you at, baby?**

**(Rick looks to Daryl)**

**Rick: Shit. It’s my boyfriend.**

**Negan (Door flies open): Well, well, well. What do we have here? (Negan walks to bed and trails a finger up and down Daryl’s body. Is this a present for me, Rick?**

**Rick: Ummm...yea. I know you like making me watch you fuck other guys.**

**Negan: (laughs) Yeah. I do. Gotta make sure you always know who’s boss of this relationship. (Grabs Rick’s face and kisses him hard, then smacks him on his ass and turns his focus to Daryl who is still tied up on this bed.**

**Negan: You know I like them young, baby. What’s your name, kid? (Negan runs his finger through the cum still on Daryl’s chest.**

**Daryl: Daryl. Sir.**

**Negan: Sir? Good boy, Daryl. I’m gonna fuck you now and make my worthless boyfriend watch so he knows I always get what I want.**

Daryl squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath. He didn’t like this story at all. It would have been bad enough just to lie there and get fucked by a stranger, but to act out a scene like this...someone literally taking him from Rick? The thought of it was unbearable. 

“Abe’s getting awfully damn creative,” Rick said as he cleared his throat uncomfortably. “You can always, ummm...tell me if you don’t want to take the job.”

Daryl turned around to meet Rick’s eyes. “What do you think we should do, Alpha?”

Rick smiled at that and ran his fingers through Daryl’s shaggy hair. “It’s okay to say ‘red’ to his, darlin’.”

“It’s a lot of money,” Daryl answered as he bit at his lip. “You did it all the time, right? Just fucked people you didn’t love?”

“Yeah, I guess I did.”

“Then I can do it.”  
*********************************

Saturday morning came quicker than Daryl would have liked. He put on a brave and ambivalent front, not wanting Rick to think he was too weak or afraid to film a simple scene. Deep down, he knew that Rick would understand if he backed out, but he didn’t want to allow himself to be frightened. He’d be with Rick and that was always a safe place to be.

Their morning routine of breakfast, getting dressed and heading out the door was quieter than normal, but Rick took more opportunities than usual to pull Daryl close for quick kisses and whispered “I love you’s”. 

When they walked into the back room of Joe’s Tavern for the shoot, there was no doubt who Negan was. 

“Hey, Rick,” the tall, smiling man said with a confident swagger towards them. “I haven’t seen you since I railed your ass in that locker room shoot.”

Rick quickly grabbed Daryl’s hand as he answered. “Ah, yes. Memories,” he said, sarcastically.

“Seen your work,” Negan said, now looking at Daryl. “Nice.”

Daryl nodded shyly. “Thanks.”

“Can we just get to this?” Rick asked Abe. “Negan drooling over my boyfriend here isn’t bringing anything to the production value.”

Negan leaned back with a laugh that sounded part friendly and part evil. “Your boyfriend? I thought you didn’t date. Ain’t that your modus operandi?”

“I found the right person,” Rick answered simply. “Abe?” 

“Yeah, yeah, hold onto your skivvies, Rick. Dwight is finishing getting the lighting ready.”

“Almost done,” Dwight yelled from somewhere unseen.

Abe was looking down at the script as he spoke. “Rick, Daryl. Strip. We open in mid-fuck. Negan - lose the jacket and wait offscreen until we’re ready for your entrance. 

Daryl started to pull off his shirt as Rick stepped between him and Negan as if he wanted to block the other man’s view. Negan seemed to recognize the move for what it was and laughed again in that way he had. 

“I love you more than life itself,” Rick whispered as he bound Daryl’s hands above his head to set up for the scene. The older man seemed stressed, wrinkles in his forehead that Daryl had never really noticed before.

“I love you, too, Alpha,” Daryl whispered. “Don’t worry. It’s going to be okay.”

Rick smiled, bit at his bottom lip, and pressed a kiss to Daryl’s forehead. “We’re ready,” Rick said to Abe.

The scene started normally enough, Rick fucking Daryl, and both of them playing to the camera. The only difference was Daryl’s hands being bound. It made him feel a bit helpless, but knowing Rick was right there took the edge off the nerves of it.

The orgasm scene was timed perfectly. Daryl never had trouble coming on command for his alpha and as soon as Rick fed him a scooped-up finger full of cum, Daryl tensed at the sound of the door being slammed shut and Negan’s intimidating voice.

“Rick?! Where you at, baby?” he called out per the script.

“Shit. It’s my boyfriend,” Rick said without the usual conviction he normally conveyed on set. And then the bedroom door opened.

“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” Negan asked. 

Daryl looked to Rick out of habit, always searching for his alpha’s eyes when he felt the least bit vulnerable and in need of that calm and comfort the older man always provided. He noticed right away that Rick’s expression was unusual. He looked angry, but remained statue-still as if he was holding himself back from letting that emotion take over.

Negan looked down at Daryl and started running a finger up and down his body, and instead of following the script he started ad-libbing. 

“Is this for me?”

“Yes,” Rick said, teeth clenched. 

“You know I think I might like to go slumming with this dirty little redneck you found, Rick,” Negan said as he continued to circle the younger man bound to the bed. Daryl closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Words and insults couldn’t hurt him anymore. He wouldn’t believe it, wouldn’t believe what Negan was saying about him because Rick had proven to him that he had worth, he was important. He was loved. He had a life with Rick that made him truly happy. This was going to be fine. He’d just breathe and do what he needed to do. It was just a job.

“Is this little piece of trash you brought me gonna kick and scream like a bitch when I fuck him or is he gonna behave like a…”

Rick was on top of Negan, punching him relentlessly in the face before the sentence could be finished. They stumbled back onto Daryl who took an elbow in the gut before the two men rolled off the bed and fell to the floor, punching and struggling as Abe screamed “Cut!! Cut!!”

Daryl tried to leap off the bed to come to his alpha’s aid, forgetting that his hands were bound and knowing instantly that the powerful pull against the binding had yanked his shoulder out of its socket. 

“I’ll fucking kill you!” Rick screamed as Daryl watched his lover punch Negan, fist after fist after fist. 

“Unfucking tie me!” Daryl hollered as he continued to tug despite the pain. Dwight flew past him, trying to pull Rick away as Abe attempted to pull Negan out from under him.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Abe shouted, trying to get Rick’s attention. Daryl watched helpless as Rick finally relented and dropped his arms, allowing Abe to pull him away, his hair wild, eyes watery, and expression blank. 

Negan pushed Dwight off him, allowing the skinny cameraman a moment to reach over and untie Daryl from the headboard. Other than Negan’s low groans, no one spoke as Daryl finally stood, his left arm dangling awkwardly by his side. He took a slow, deep breath then slammed his shoulder into the wall, crying out in pain as it slipped back into its socket. Then he rushed to Rick’s side and wrapped his lover in a firm, loving hug. 

“You okay?” Daryl whispered, Rick’s bloodied face resting on his shoulder, his body leaning into the comfort Daryl’s was offering.

“Mother Dick,” Abe yelled in a rage. “I can’t call the cops on this shit. I ain’t supposed to be operational.” 

“What the fuck is wrong with you, you dumb shit?” Negan screamed at Rick through fits of coughing.

“If everyone here can physically walk, then you need to get your asses up and start walking them out of this tavern. And don’t think about coming back,” Abe said firmly

“I didn’t fuckin’ do anything! I was playing a damn part!” Negan yelled as Dwight helped him to his feet. “Not my fault his trashy boyfriend can’t take a little dirty talk.”

Daryl felt Rick try to pull away in an effort go after Negan again and held him tighter.

“No. Rick, no,” Daryl whispered as he held him tight. “It don’t bother me. And it don’t need to bother you. Let’s go home okay? Take me home.”

Negan, Dwight, and Abe were all on their way out the door as Daryl finally pulled away from Rick to get dressed. He looked over at his lover who still seemed to be in shock, just standing there staring at the spot on the floor where he had nearly beaten Negan to death. 

“Hey,” Daryl whispered softly as he handed Rick his jeans. “Put these on for me, baby. Let’s go home. Get you a bath.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More on Rick's mysterious history in the next chapter! Stay tuned!


	16. Take the Wheel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: There is a trigger warning about half-way through the chapter. If you need to skip the second half of the chap, you won't miss any plot and you can pick up on the next chap.
> 
> Here you go everyone... The mystery of Rick is revealed! Not a super long chapter, so I might try to post again tomorrow.
> 
> Thanks again to my dear friend LOTR58...for basically everything.

Daryl walked Rick, who was still in a daze, to the car and settled him into the passenger seat. When he slid in behind the wheel he reached over and checked the gash on his lover’s forehead, noticing the swell of a swollen cheekbone. 

“You’re scaring me, Rick,” Daryl said softly but firmly. “I need you to tell me you’re okay.”

Rick blinked back a few tears and finally made eye contact. “Are _you_ okay?” he asked, his voice weaker than Daryl had ever heard it.

“Yes. I’m fine. See? Talk to me. What happened in there?”

“Can we go home?” Rick asked, his eyes pleading.

“Yeah, baby. We can go home,” Daryl said as he turned the key, put it in drive, and quite literally took the wheel from his alpha.

Rick kept his vacant gaze focused out the window on the drive home as Daryl replayed the whole incident again in his head. He’d never picked up on any hint of violence in Rick before and was still shocked at the memory of that moment when the other man seemed to just absolutely snap. What had Negan been saying? Just name calling. Trash? Redneck? Then it hit him like a ton of bricks as he pulled into their driveway.

_Is this little piece of trash you brought me gonna kick and scream like a bitch when I fuck him…_

Daryl stopped the car and turned to Rick. The older man was hugging himself, eyes still glazed over, and silent tears rolling down his cheek. He hadn’t been a cop. Or a criminal. He’d been a victim.

**_**********************WARNING: Descriptions of past rape. If this is a trigger for you it is fine to skip the rest of this chapter and pick back up next chapter**************************_ **

Once inside, Daryl sat Rick down on the couch, taking a seat next to him. He was quiet for a while, not wanting to push his lover too hard, too fast. Eventually he put a palm to Rick’s cheek and encouraged the other man to make eye contact. 

“Tell me,” Daryl said softly.

“I’m so sorry,” Rick started. “I’m supposed to be the one taking care of you and…”

“Rick. We can take care of each other,” Daryl soothed, a thumb rubbing just below Rick’s quickly bruising cheek. 

“I don’t want you to think I can’t…”

“I don’t think anything, Rick. You’re human. I just want you to talk to me,” Daryl said as he pulled Rick close, letting the older man rest his head on Daryl’s broad chest.

“I just...I didn’t like Negan degrading you to begin with, and when he talked about you struggling…” Rick’s voice faded to nothing and Daryl waited patiently, rubbing comforting circles over his lover’s back.

“Who was it?” Daryl finally asked.

Rick took a deep breath and stayed curled up against Daryl as he finally started talking.

“I was seventeen. He was my first boyfriend. Phillip. He was older than me. Twenty-four. Tall. Strong. Worked with Dale at the station. We dated for about two months and he was pushing for sex but I just wasn’t ready yet.”

Daryl’s heart sank. He’d realized in the car that something like this must have happened, but to hear Rick putting words to it was crushing. 

After another quiet pause, Rick started to speak again.

“One night we were at his place and we were drinking. He was drinking a lot, actually. And we were just watching a movie and then all of a sudden it was just...hands all over me. And he was so strong and I tried to fight back and tell him no, but his arms were so strong and he had me pinned down. He pulled my hands behind my back and held them tight with one hand while he yanked my jeans down with the other. I struggled and cried and begged him to stop, but he was so much stronger than me. I couldn’t breathe, he was so heavy behind me -- pressing my face into the pillow as he...y’know...started.”

“I’m here,” Daryl said when he felt Rick shudder in his arms. “I’ve got you.”

Finally, the older man sat up, scooted back a bit, and faced Daryl head on. 

“Last thing I remember was the pain, struggling to breathe, his hand pushing into my back to hold me steady, and then everything just went black. Neighbors must have heard my screams and called the cops. When I came to, Morgan was there. I saw Phillip was cuffed and being hauled out of the apartment.”

“Jesus,” Daryl whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

“Not your fault,” Rick said with a half-hearted laugh as he shook his head, still deep in the memory.

“It made the papers and everything because he’d worked at the police station and it turned out he’d done it before. They try to keep minors and victims' identities out of the news but...everyone knew. People knew. Dropped out of school. Shane, Glen, Maggie, and Tara stayed close to me even though I tried to push them all away. Shane even became a cop because of what happened to me. They’ve all been good friends, but I still didn’t want to go back to school. It was hard for me to see anyone back then.”

“Met Abe. Decided my body was already ruined. Started doing the porn soon as I turned eighteen. Got pretty promiscuous for a while, thinking that was all I was good for. Any of my relationships...well, I didn’t really have any. It was just sex and it was alway me initiating. I think maybe my way of being in control of it. I never ‘dated’ anyone because I was afraid of...what could happen if I let my guard down like that again.” He took a deep breath and Daryl grabbed one of his hands and squeezed tight.

“I ain’t never gonna let nothing like that happen to you again,” Daryl said with complete conviction. “I’d kill for you, Rick.”

“Don’t want it to happen to you either. When I saw you bound to that bed today it just...it sent me spinning. I don’t...I don’t want to do that shoot.”

“Well, that’s good, baby, because I’m pretty sure we just got fired,” Daryl said with a forced laugh, trying to lighten the mood.

Rick rested his head on the back of the couch, eyes on Daryl. “I don’t want to ruin what we have here.”

Daryl slid to his knees on the floor, gazing up adoringly at Rick and holding both of his hands. “I’m yours, Alpha. I’m always yours. And if you sometimes need to rest your head for a bit and let me take care of you, that’s okay. You are still strong and supportive and you take care of me like no one else ever has or ever will. I love you. I want you. All of you. Everything.”

Rick leaned down and pressed his head to Daryl’s, wordlessly responding with the same strong love.

“Let me give you a bath,” Daryl said, his eyes pleading with Rick’s for the privilege of it. And Rick nodded, pulling Daryl up to his feet and following the younger man to the bathroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any of y'all see that coming?


	17. Moonlight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're closing to an end, folks. One more chapter to go.

As Daryl knelt by the tub rubbing a washcloth over Rick’s back, he felt a protective instinct swell inside him. He meant what he said. He’d kill or die for this man. He’d take the ups and the downs, the goods and the bads. He’d follow him to the ends of the earth. Seeing this vulnerable side of Rick made Daryl even more connected, even more dedicated, even more committed, and even more in love.

“I don’t make enough money on my music to get by without the porn work,” Rick said frowning in distress..

“Why don’t you just take some time off? I have a full-time job now. I can handle the bills.”

Rick sighed, dejected. “I hate feeling this way.”

Daryl started working on soaping up Rick’s chest. “Tell me how you feel.”

Rick laughed. “You’re using all my moves against me.”

“You always make me feel better, Rick. Now I want to make you feel better,” Daryl answered simply.

Rick took a deep breath. “I hate feeling out of control. I hate feeling broken. I feel like there’s too much that’s unknown now with losing the porn work and having shown you this side of me.”

“I want to know every side of you, Rick. Nothing has changed between us. You are still my rock.” Daryl tilted Rick’s head back and poured water over his curls. “It’s okay to have bad days.”

By the time Rick was washed, dried, and curled up in bed, Daryl had gotten him to understand that all this was okay and the two of them fell asleep intertwined.

********************************************  
Daryl was in the kitchen cooking bacon and eggs when Rick trudged out of the bedroom in boxers, curls smashed against his head, and a purple-blue bruise now showing along his cheekbone.

“Morning, Alpha,” Daryl said gently as he pulled Rick close for a long, slow kiss.

“Morning,” Rick said as he sat down at the kitchen table still looking forlorn with his own vulnerability.

“I thought we could have breakfast and figure out what to do today.”

“That sounds nice,” Rick said, his voice attempting to sound more upbeat than it was. Daryl knew his lover well enough to know what it was he really needed. He served up the eggs and bacon all on one plate in front of Rick then sank to his knees before his alpha, looking up at the other man in complete supplication. 

Rick smiled, the first genuine one since the incident, and he broke off a piece of bacon and fed it to Daryl, allowing the younger man to lick his fingers afterwards. 

“Will you play me some of your songs after breakfast, Master?”

“Sure, darlin’. I think I’d like that. And then, maybe later this evening, we can go fishing. Would that be okay?” Rick asked, regaining a bit of confidence in his voice.

“I’d love it, Alpha. Thank you.”

“Thank _you_ , Sweetheart.”

As the day moved on, Rick became more relaxed as he played the piano and his confidence seemed to rebound by the time they were fishing.

“You know what I like about fishing?” Rick asked.

Daryl shrugged. “Moonlight? Fresh air? Not having to feel guilty about killing any fish since ya can’t catch any?” he teased.

Rick shook his head and smiled. “Smart ass,” Rick murmured, “The air and the night sky is perfect, but my favorite part is looking over at you and seeing you smile.”

“I smile all the time now. Now that I have you.”

Rick nodded as he reeled in an empty line. “Yeah, you do. But here, in the woods, the moon reflecting light in your pretty blue eyes, the breeze chasing at the strands of your hair...you’re in your element out here. It’s like you let me into a little more of your world...like letting me see into your soul.”

Daryl reeled his rod in and put it aside, then turned and knelt in front of Rick. “You know what I like?” he asked, his voice dropping a few octaves as he noticed Rick’s eyes blow wide. “I like having you all to myself.”

“Are you thinking about having sex right here in the dirt?” Rick asked with a sly grin.

Daryl stood and began a slow, tantalizing show of removing his clothes. “I’m just thinking that you making love to me out here in the wide open world would make this night perfect.”

Rick pulled Daryl down to him and rolled him onto his back. “You know I’d give you any damn thing you ever wanted.”

“Want you,” Daryl whispered. And Rick granted that desire like he granted all of Daryl’s desires. He opened the younger man with diligent fingers that massaged his prostate until Daryl’s eyes rolled back into his head. 

“Please, Alpha,” Daryl whined. 

Rick pressed his cock into Daryl slowly. It was a oneness -- like the perfect blend of keys playing a chord from Rick’s piano, like the way the beach welcomes the in and out of the waves. It was becoming one soul and one body and one mind. 

The ebb and flow of their lovemaking was perfect. The night air cooled their overheated bodies and the sound of crickets was a perfect backdrop to blot out the rest of the world. Daryl never felt so right as he did when he was underneath Rick and feeling the warmth and heat of his lover’s body. Hearing the moans and whimpers fall from the older man’s lips and knowing he belonged. He belonged to Rick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter and then it's on to other things.


	18. Happily Ever After

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, folks. It has come to an end. Hope you enjoy the little epilogue.

Daryl sat patiently in the visitor’s room of the prison, daydreaming about getting back home to Rick. It had been a long day at the garage, but over the course of the past few weeks an idea had started to evolve in his head. 

When the heavy, iron door clicked open, Daryl stood. “Merle. Hey, man. How you doin’?” His brother looked older than Daryl remembered. His face lined with age and a hard life, with tired eyes that spoke of surrender.

The older brother plopped down in a chair. “I’m in prison, genius. How you think?” His words didn’t even have the same bark they used to. The bravado felt forced.

Daryl sat back down and nodded. “Yeah. I know. I know. But if you can keep your nose clean in here you can get out a lot earlier on good behavior.”

Merle shrugged and looked out the window. “Clean now,” he said.

“That’s great, Merle. Good for you, man,” Daryl said sincerely.

“Ain’t like I had much choice.”

“Then maybe this was all for the best. Way you were going...you was gearing for an early grave, man.”

Merle leaned forward, elbows on the table as the guard nearby stiffened in preparation for a possible violation.

“Look, kid. I wouldn’t blame ya if you was rooting for that outcome. I ain’t been great to yah. I know that.”

“No. You haven’t been,” Daryl answered with a tight nod. “But we’re all human, right?”

“Surprised you even came to visit.”

“I’m not gonna lie, Merle. I had another motive other than checking in on you. I need a favor.”

“What the hell can I do for you in here? Shit, I couldn’t even do nothin’ good for ya on the outside.” It was clear Merle had really come to terms with his life choices. He was repentant. He was clean. And for the first time Daryl had real hope for him. Hell, he was almost proud of his big brother.

“You still tight with that big-time country singer? That Half Moon guy?”

Merle burst into a wide smile. “Get this shit little brother...he’s actually been to visit me a few times. Guy made the big time but he ain’t forgot where he came from. He’s clean now, too. Doing all this twelve step shit and feels like he owes me since he was the one got me into the drugs in the first place. Why you asking ‘bout him? You always hated that mother fucker.”

Daryl smiled. It was all perfect. It was all going to work out. “Well, we’re all human,” Daryl repeated.

************************************

When Daryl got to the front door of the house he could hear Rick inside working on a new song he’d been fooling with. Leaning against the door, he listened for a bit as Rick’s fingers tickled a lulling melody out of the piano, his voice, hesitant and nervous, as he sang along with the lyrics he’d written. _And we are homeward bound. And I...I want this more than life…_

As the last chord ended, Daryl opened the door, closing it behind him and stripping bare as he always did. Rick turned from the piano bench, his loving eyes on Daryl, clearly so happy to have him home for the day. He walked to Rick and sank to his knees. “I want you more than life, too, Alpha.”

“You eavesdropping on me, Darlin’?” Rick asked, finally sounding like himself again. 

“Yes. Been bad. Maybe you should punish me.” He felt guilty about listening and the thought of being over Rick’s lap, his alpha’s hand firm against his backside offering forgiveness, was heaven.

After the punishment, Rick and Daryl wordlessly moved to the bedroom. They kissed and touched and purred with contentment in each other’s arms. Rick kissed and licked across every square inch of Daryl’s body as the younger man moaned and whimpered at the love and attention. When Rick finally entered his lover’s body, both men gasped in relief as if they hadn’t become one in years. In reality they had made love that very morning, like every morning and every night. 

Merle had come through and the lead singer for Half Moon called Rick that very next day asking to review some of his music. It took less than a week before the band signed Rick to a contract for their next album. Daryl had never seen his lover so happy. The night he signed the contract they went out with Shane, Glenn, Maggie, and Tara to celebrate. 

“I’m glad you’re with him,” Shane said to Daryl after Tara and Maggie had dragged Rick out to the dance floor. 

Daryl took a sip of his beer and nodded as he watched Rick awkwardly trying to mimic Maggie’s dance steps. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

“He told me that you know what happened back in high school,” Shane said with a heavy sigh. 

“I do.”

They both watched their friends on the dance floor, Daryl smiling ear-to-ear as Rick threw his head back in mid-laugh after stepping on his own foot.

“He deserves happiness,” Shane said. “I knew that fucker was no good. Tried to convince Rick to dump him. Feel like if I would’ve pushed harder I could’ve maybe…”

“Shane,” Daryl said, shaking his head. “Ain’t on you. You can’t do that to yourself. All those run-ins I had with you growin’ up Dixon and you never let me feel like shit was on me that wasn’t. What happened with Rick? Not on you, man. He knows that. You need to know that.”

After a few moments deep in thought, Shane nodded. “Yeah. I know.” He took a deep breath and looked back to Daryl. “Thank you for taking care of him.”

“We take care of each other,” Daryl said with a smile. “And we always will.” He stood up and walked out to the dance floor as the music slowed into a softer song and he took Rick’s hand and pulled him close. And they danced. And they lived happily ever after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's right- I did it. I literally ended a fic that started out as a one-shot porn shoot with "happily ever after". You know why? A: Because I can and B: Because we need a little happily ever after in this world right now.
> 
> The song Rick is singing at his piano is More Than Life by Whitley. (If you check it out, just change that "her face" lyric to "his face" for the purposes of this story!)
> 
> Another one in the books, my friends. Thank you all for the comments and the kudos. I treasure every single one. Guess I'll take a breather for a few days then get back to work on another! :-D

**Author's Note:**

> I've written 15 of approximately 18 chapters. Just need to make all the edits and finish the last couple chapters. Real life has become rather hectic so my posting schedule may be slightly sporadic. My plan is to post twice a week, but I can't really be certain which days I'll be able to do it. But don't worry, I'll keep this coming! Promise!


End file.
